Sinful
by Spoodlexiii
Summary: It's been a few months since Vincent disappeared, and his friends wonder where he's gone and what he's doing. So Vincent decides to show them what they wanted...but only through their dreams, of course. Rated M for language and themes.
1. Day 1  Day

OOC: Hullo! :3 This is the first fic I've written in a while, so I'm probably pretty rusty. But Catherine just sparked a strong interest. Warning, SPOILERS! Do not read if you want Catherine's true Cheater Ending to be a secret! ;3 That being said, I played through by honesty the first time and got the good Katherine ending...then played again for the true Catherine ending. Which was so much more worth it. xDD But anyway, hope you enjoy wherever this goes~!

Also: I do not own any of Atlus' stuff. (Also also, fixed some minor grammatical stuff. Why do I type when it's so late?)

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><p>"Shame Feather lost," Orlando sighed. "Had most of my money on her. But I can't be blamed for making a bad bet, right?" He looked hopefully to Toby for support, who nodded earnestly.<p>

"Yeah! I mean, you guys had all those nightmares! And not to mention…" Toby trailed off, realizing what direction he was going. Glancing to Jonny then to Orlando, he hung his head. "…Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it...Do you think he's okay, wherever he is?" Jonny took a drag off of his cigarette, and Orlando took a drink, but neither chose to reply. But both of them eventually glanced to the bar, where Boss cleaned a glass and hummed to himself.

Orlando checked his phone, looking to the last thing that Vincent Brooks had ever texted. It'd been several weeks, maybe almost three months now, and the search for Vincent had gone cold. But both he and Jonny knew that Vincent wasn't going to be found. Vincent had won his freedom…as well as theirs. All of the surviving men from those nightmares, from the desperate climb up…It was because of Vincent that they were alive and feeling good.

In fact, in a twisted sort of way, Vincent's disappearance had been good for Jonny, too. He picked up Katherine on the rebound, and really, they both were doing pretty good. Jonny voiced guilt, but they knew Vincent wasn't planning on coming back for Katherine. Regardless, they didn't talk about it in front of Toby. It was shit he didn't need to know. As far as Toby knew, Vincent had run off when the stress had got to be too much. Last they saw of him, really, Vincent had been fucked up and talking about illusions and how his cheating girl had vanished…So it was better Toby thought he had snapped.

"I miss him. I mean, he was so messed up. I hope he didn't get himself hurt," Toby sighed. Orlando glanced to him and shrugged.

"Aw, you worry too much, kid," he mused. "Vince's alright, wherever he is…You better run on home, yeah? Past your bedtime."

"Aw man, you're so mean!" Toby whined. "But I do need to split. Erica's getting some time off tonight." Both Jonny and Orlando flinched a bit but said nothing. They had come to the agreement that unless Toby figured it out or Erica said something, neither of them would 'go there' and explain some heavy truths to the poor kid. Toby stood and took off, looking like he was on cloud nine, which left Jonny and Vincent alone.

The news on the TV mentioned the series of deaths during the nightmare week, followed by the ongoing search for Vincent Brooks, and Jonny sighed, rubbing at his eyes.

"What did he say again?"

"'I've won. You guys are safe. I'm meeting up with Catherine. I've made my choice'," Orlando reeled off, half from memory, half from his phone. "You think he seriously is with her? Boss over there said she was some sort of illusion, though. And has played dumb since."

"More beer, sir?" Boss chimed in, and Orlando groaned a bit, shutting an eye.

"And continues to listen in. Tend to your bar, geezer."

"Of course, sir."

Jonny shook his head and took a drink himself. "I don't know, and frankly at this point, I don't care. Wherever Vincent is, he's probably happy to be in his selfish and commitment free lifestyle. But don't take that the wrong way…He wasn't happy, and neither was Katherine."

"Oh? And is she now?"

"Better than before," Jonny said.

"What about you?"

"Better than before…But it's only been a few months. She still calls me his name sometimes, but I don't really care. They were together for five years. I'm just glad I got a second chance to be with her. That sounds pretty selfish…so I get no right to be angry with Vincent."

"I'd kill to see him," Orlando admitted. "I mean, if he hooked up with some illusion and lives in some dream world, that's crazy." He grinned. "I'd love to see that. I wish I got to see his girl just once."

"Orlando, what part of 'illusion' and 'dream world' did you miss? She isn't real and Vincent's probably in some crazy house," Jonny muttered bitterly, rolling his eyes a bit.

"I was just joking, and don't say he's in a nuthouse," Orlando said, smiling a little. "Though he could be. I hope not, though."

The two talked for a while longer, before Jonny decided it was time to head home. Orlando nodded and left too. When he laid down to sleep, in his large, lonely bed, his thoughts drifted again to their missing friend—to where he was and what he was doing.

Jonny, too, laying down beside Katherine, felt his mind wander to Vincent. The two men fell asleep with their thoughts on a certain man, and little did they know it, when Toby fell asleep like a baby beside Erica, his mind traveled there too. Vincent Brooks…Where was he now?

_If you all are so curious…why don't you pay me a visit?_


	2. Day 2 Night

OOC: Woot chappie two. Let's rock and roll.

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><p>"Sheep again!" Orlando groaned, rubbing at his eyes. They were on some sort of plain platform in dark space, the three of them. One of the sheep was smoking and wearing a jacket, and Orlando knew who he was without a second thought. But the third? He was wearing a hat and had blonde hair… "Oh no, don't tell me…Don't tell me that's you, kid."<p>

"What? Ahh! A talking sheep!" the hat-wearing sheep yelled, backing up. As he grew close to the edge, Orlando lunged and grabbed him and tugged him back.

"Get a grip, kid! It's Orlando! That's Jonny. Tobias, don't freak out."

"Is this the nightmares again…?" Jonny asked quietly. "Doesn't look like it…We're on a platform here, but you can see that door. There are no blocks here. This isn't the same thing. I don't think I can do that again."

"I thought Vincent stopped all this?" Orlando asked, turning, still gripping onto Toby's fluff. He tugged the kid forward and stood him next to Jonny. "Stop whimpering, kid, we may look like sheep to you, but you look like a sheep to me."

"This is seriously not cool," Toby moaned. "What is this? Why are you a sheep, Orlando? And you, Chief?"

Jonny didn't answer, going instead to the door. He clasped the knob and after a moment of hesitation, he twisted it. The door opened and revealed a large, grand room—something like an entrance hall or some sort of ancient throne room. Candles settled on skulls burned brightly and cast eerie shadows on the walls. Jonny entered, and Orlando pushed Toby in front of him, forcing the panicking kid along. As they entered, the door and the platform they had appeared on vanished. Toby yelled, flailing his arms, but Jonny grabbed him by his neck fluff and pulled him close, glaring up ahead.

At the top of a staircase sitting on the edge of a bed sat a nude, horned man. From the distance apart, details were hard to distinguish. Jonny glared.

"What is that? It doesn't look like any of those fucked, crazy sheep…"

"No, it sure as hell doesn't. It looks human," Orlando mumbled.

"Hey, wait," Toby said quietly, a hand reaching and grabbing at Jonny's, but not pulling away. He pointed with his free one. "Chief! Look! That's-!"

"No fucking way…" Orlando breathed, but was drawn forward. He started up the stairs, but a ringing laugh made him stop. The figure at the top rose, running his tongue over his lips, and approached the top step, looking down at the three lost sheep who had wandered their way into his domain. It was then that Orlando was sure. "Vincent!"

Another three figures sat up from the bed, one of them a blonde, the other two with darker hair. The blonde tilted her head, blinking drowsily. "Honey, what is it?" She paused before smiling and sitting forward. "Ooh, do I sense humans…? Men?"

"You can have your fun in a moment. Let me greet my old friends," the incubus chuckled. "In fact, why don't you go play with some others for now? Give me some time with them. They only have a few hours before they must wake."

"Oh, Vincent, you're no fun sometimes. All work and no play makes Catherine a sad girl…"

They both laughed and the girl, and the other two, vanished. Orlando flinched as the man turned back to them, and he looked back to Jonny and Toby to make sure he wasn't alone. Holy hell, that would have sucked…

"Vincent?" Jonny asked, starting to walk forward, releasing Toby. Orlando sided him and began to trudge up the steps. Toby hurriedly followed. "Vincent? Is that you? You're…different."

The horned man held out his arms, grinning. "That's all?"

"Dude, you've got horns!" Toby yelped. "And you're naked!"

"Yeah, and you're sheep," Vincent sighed. "I'm glad we've stated the obvious."

"Is this a nightmare, Vincent? I thought you finished that," Orlando asked, daring to rise a few more steps, getting close enough to get a good look at Vincent, though he tried to ignore certain…attributes. He looked like their old friend...but there was something different. Other than the horns. He had red eyes...and he looked...strong. Orlando's stomach twisted unpleasantly. Something here wasn't right at all and it freaked him out.

Vincent smiled, before shaking his head a bit. "No, not a nightmare. You all were thinking about me…So I decided that you should come and pay a visit. Besides, my father in law is out of town, so I get free reign of this realm. Well, I get free reign anyway, but he's gone regardless."

With a gesture, Vincent glanced about the throne room before he looked to the many doors along the side of the hall. They swung open with a flick of his wrist, and from inside came the coos, giggles, and snickers of girls. They spoke to themselves of how attractive the little one was, or how sensual the smoking one was, or how sexy the one with the red hat was…Flustered, Orlando did his best to ignore them and hoped nobody but himself could see his underwear…

"This suddenly became the best dream ever," Orlando said with a bit of a nervous laugh, not exactly sure if he meant it. "Where exactly is 'this realm', Vincent?"

"Does it matter? I'm king of it. When I chose Catherine over Katherine…I chose freedom. Ultimate freedom. I do what I want, when I want, how I want. I lost my humanity. And I am the happiest I have ever been in my whole life!" He threw his head back and began to laugh.

"A little bit of control never hurt anyone," Jonny muttered. "Do I get to wake up now? My curiosity's been satisfied. And why are we sheep, anyway, if this isn't the nightmares? Why bring Toby in on this?"

Vincent looked down at them, as though thinking, before his eyes narrowed and his lip curled. The look made Orlando's stomach drop. Whatever was on their former friend's mind, he wasn't sure he liked it.

"Vince? You're scaring me with that look…"

"You know…You could all do with a taste of freedom yourselves…Catherine, darling…" Vincent looked to his side as Catherine appeared by his side. She smiled as he looped an arm around her, giggling a little and shaking her horned head.

"I thought you wanted me to go play with someone else? Did you change your mind?"

"Why don't you and the girls show them a good time? I know, I'm the sexiest creature out there, but I think I owe it to them to give them some fun."

"I'm not interested," Jonny interrupted.

"Me either," Toby added. "I have Erica!"

Jonny met Vincent's gaze. "And I have Katherine."

Vincent's hand on Catherine's shoulder tightened a bit, before he smiled and shifted, kissing at Catherine's cheek. Orlando tilted his head a little, before narrowing his eyes. What was that? A flinch? Did that bother him, that Jonny was with Katherine?

"Thanks, Vince, but no thanks. I'm good."

Vincent patted Catherine's shoulder. "Oh, I'm afraid it wasn't something you had a say in."

Succubi moved from the door, a graceful walk, seductive, slow. Orlando's eyes traveled and he didn't mean for them to. Before he knew it, he had a brown-skinned woman on one side and a red-haired one on the other. He tried to flinch back but a heated breath escaped him. Well, this was just a dream, right? Maybe it wouldn't hurt to have some fun…

Toby was already being swept away to one of the rooms, while Jonny was trying to avoid the women gathering around him. He shot a final gaze at Vincent, who stood above them, smirking down at them, before he too was half-dragged, half-walked off. Orlando was barely aware of himself before he found himself traveling to a room too.

"Vincent—" he started saying, but Vincent had turned to his succubus girl and was kissing her, oblivious (or so he looked) to the world around him.

"Nighty night, boys," Vincent hummed once the doors shut, keeping Catherine close. "I suppose I'm up for another round myself, babe…"

"Ooh, Vincent, you're incorrigible!...Just the way I like it."


	3. Day 2 Day

OOC: Whoohoo, day 2~

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><p>Orlando shot straight up, his heart pounding. Looking around wildly, he expected to see writhing, naked bodies, to see impish, devilish women touching him, stroking him…The heated thought made him blush and he looked down to his underwear—which was, unfortunately, now rather sticky and dirty. As he realized he'd had a wet dream, the details slowly began to seep away, and soon he could hardly remember what had happened. Though he would swear it had something to do with Vincent.<p>

But what? Whatever it had been, he had gotten rather worked up about it in his sleep…He felt sore, though. Not very badly, but it was a bit annoying regardless.

"Damn," he sighed. "No more late night internet porn."

The men met up at the Stray Sheep in the late afternoon and while Orlando still felt a bit oddly after his strange but unremembered dream, the real focus was Toby, who seemed rather shaken. Erica came by to collect their orders, ready to write down their usual, but paused at Toby's spacey gaze.

"Hey? Toby? You look out of it." He didn't even flinch. She looked to Jonny and Orlando with concern, tilting her head a bit. "He wasn't like this when I left him this morning. In fact, he was pretty excited." She blushed a little herself, but Toby didn't seem to hear.

Jonny made a bit of a gesture and took a drag. "He's been like that all day. Says he had a funny dream."

"Oh no, not weird dream business again," Erica said, looking between Jonny and Orlando for confirmation, but neither were looking at her or Toby. Both had glanced to Boss, who eventually noticed and tilted his head curiously.

"Come to think of it, my dream was a bit strange too," Jonny said vacantly.

"I woke up to some morning wood," Orlando said with no shame.

"I did too," Jonny mumbled, then looked finally to Erica. "Sake. Do your job."

"Alright, alright, jeez. But if this nightmare deal is starting up again, that's just ridiculous."

"No, it wasn't a nightmare," Orlando hummed. "Sheep and blocks don't really get little 'Lando up and on his feet. What exactly has you all shaken up, kid?" Toby was using his finger to draw on the table, staring at the surface as though he wasn't seeing it, but seeing through it. It wasn't until Jonny reached and set a hand on the younger man's back that Toby jerked and seemed to 'wake up'.

"Oh, um, whisky," he said. The three of them stared at him, and he blushed. "What? What? Did I say something?"

"Whisky, Toby?" Erica said, eyes wide. "Not beer?"

"What, a guy can't get some diversity?" he laughed nervously, before sighing and looking down. "Aw, man. It's just that I want to be good and out tonight. I had some funny dreams. Wait, what? Did you say sheep?" Eyes shooting to Orlando, he seemed to pale a bit. Orlando adjusted his hat and looked away. When he didn't say anything and just sort of sighed, Toby gesticulated as he struggled to get the other to speak up.

"You said sheep, I swear I heard you! I had sheep in my dream!"

Boss flinched as he felt two sets of eyes settle on him once more. Orlando rubbed at his jaw while Jonny narrowed his eyes, both of them glaring at the man.

"Sheep, Toby?"

"You don't say."

"Yeah, and Vincent was there—you both were there too, but as sheep! And Vincent was naked and had these—"

Erica huffed. "You had a dream about naked Vincent? Jeez, Toby, I didn't know you were so twisted..."

To distract, Orlando laughed and looked to Erica. "Maybe he really isn't barking up the wrong tree. I never knew you swung that way, Toby."

"Aw, guys, not like that!"

"Well, you did say you'd be all over Jonny here…" Effectively disarming Toby's thought process, especially when Jonny choked on an inhale of his cigarette, Orlando tried to remember his own dream. Whatever had happened in his, Toby was quite aware of it, but it seemed like Jonny and he had been left out of the loop. Other than the morning wood, anyway…Toby had been excited too? Was that what Erica had said?

"A beer, Erica," Orlando muttered, watching Boss. "Make Boss bring it over. I've got a question for him."

"Alrighty, just a second guys," Erica said and went off. Orlando watched Jonny, who had his eyes shut, then looked to Toby, who returned to being spacy. The dreams didn't sound the same, if Toby remembered right. There weren't any blocks mentioned. That much from the old dreams, he did recall. But there were sheep…He and Jonny had been the sheep? That could have either been Toby's imagination running wild, or they may have genuinely been there. It was possible. This stupid dream business… He didn't want to do this again. The pain that had been brought up last time had been more than he'd ever wanted to deal with, especially for a second time…

"I'm going to take a leak," Toby said vacantly, standing and moving toward the bathroom, passing Boss as he came with their drinks.

"Boss," Jonny said as the man appeared, though he seemed a bit nervous. He was certainly sweating bullets… "You wouldn't happen to know anything about Toby's dream, would you? He said there were sheep involved."

"Perhaps it was because he was here drinking at the Stray Sheep before he went home?" Boss suggested, delivering the drinks and adjusting his glasses. "Dreams are how your mind relaxes and unloads information gathered during the day. Or so I've heard."

"Well, it's a good thing it was a one-night occurrence," Orlando mused, smiling and adjusting his hat. "Because if it wasn't, then I'd have to doubt you, old man."

"If I find out that anybody has been sending bad vibes Toby's way, I'm not quite sure what I might do to them," Jonny murmured, taking a drink and not even looking over. Boss winced but said nothing. Orlando looked to him before smirking. Jonny did have quite the soft spot for that kid.

"Very well, sir," Boss said, not knowing what else _to_ say, and walked off, returning to his counter. As soon as he was out of immediate earshot, Jonny and Orlando exchanged glances followed by drinks of their respective beverages.

"He knows something," Jonny muttered.

"You think?"

"Still, I suppose there isn't much we can do about it today."

Toby rejoined them and they changed the topic to the newest thing to bet on, their jobs, anything but dreams. Whatever would distract Toby.

Orlando returned home after quite a bit of drinking, and as he staggered his way into his painfully empty home, he grabbed a beer from the fridge and was soon settled on his mattress. Kicking away his shoes and shrugging off his clothes, so that soon all he was left in was some underwear, he took drinks of his beer; eyes mostly shut in his a haze. Knowing he was pretty drunk and having absolutely no idea how he'd gotten back home safely, Orlando chugged the last of the can, tossed it aside, and then pulled his hat back on his head, wanting its security. He'd had that hat forever. She gave it to him…

His eyes shut tiredly and a bit of a groan escaped him. "I don't want to fuck with this again…I don't know if I can handle it."

The two others weren't much better when they lied down too, both by themselves that evening. Drunk, anxious, unnerved…They were bracing for what may come that night.

_Hahaha...You all need to relax. You're too stressed out. I'd be happy to help._


	4. Day 3 Night

OOC: It's time for a Nightmare...

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><p>At first, things were really dizzy and hazy. There was a door…but mostly just darkness. There had to be some light source, but for some inexplicable reason, he couldn't see one. What was he on, a platform? It was plain…And then he saw the sheep. Orlando groaned and shut his eyes, leaning back again.<p>

"Fuck."

"Back again," Jonny muttered, taking a drag and then flicking away his cigarette.

"Oh no…" Toby mumbled. "I don't like this…This was just like last night…You're sheep again…"

"What was so bad about this 'last time'?" Orlando asked, still trying to remember back to the previous dream. And then it all came back.

Touches, hands, bodies, moans… Orlando felt an extreme blush take his features and Jonny laughed a bit weakly.

"I've never seen a sheep turn so red," he mused. "Guess you remembered it all too."

"Did demon-Vincent hook us up with a bunch of sexy ladies?" Orlando grunted, rubbing at his head.

"Yep."

"Aw man, it's like I cheated on Erica! With a whole harem!" Toby groaned.

"Yep, just like that. But this is a dream, and it's not like we quite had a lot of choice," Jonny sighed, pushing himself up. "And I'll bet you that Vince is behind that door again tonight."

"You know, now I feel kind of stupid for being so upset earlier," Orlando sighed. "If I knew this was just about seeing Vincent and participating in some wicked orgy, I wouldn't have been so anxious. I was worried it was the damn block thing again and I couldn't remember it."

"Oh, I remembered all of it," Toby sighed. "Everything…Some of them got kind of violent, guys. Can't you remember that?"

"No, not really," Orlando muttered.

"Nope."

"Maybe it was just me…Maybe it just means Erica's been real easy on me."

Jonny and Orlando exchanged glances before shrugging. "Whatever, kid," Orlando muttered. He really didn't want to know the details from their love life. Ick. Jonny shuddered too but said nothing more. Helping Orlando up, the jacket-wearing sheep moved again to the door. After a soft sigh, he twisted the doorknob, and once more they stepped into the throne room of Vincent and his succubi.

The three of them looked aside almost as soon as they had stepped in and the door vanished. Vincent was…preoccupied. At hearing Toby cough awkwardly, he glanced up from Catherine, and he laughed a little, but didn't stop what he was doing. The three men turned their backs, as watching Vincent hump his girl was the last thing they wanted to see. They waited until they heard loud moans and even then waited for it to seem like Vincent was completely done.

"You know," Jonny muttered, turning around finally. Orlando did the same, seeing that Vincent was now settled on the floor by the bed, leaning back against it and letting Catherine stroke his hair. Another succubi was sprawled across his lap, holding a chalice for him to drink from, which he did so occasionally. "If you wanted someone to watch, you could have gotten someone else to show up here."

"Where's the fun in that? Having a stranger watch is creepy," Vincent said, smiling.

"Nope, it's pretty creepy no matter who's watching, Vince," Orlando sighed.

"Vinny, what was the deal with yesterday, huh! Some of those girls were…um…"

"They're demons, Toby, they play rough" Vincent said, reaching an arm up and stroking Catherine's cheek. She smiled at the action and then winked at the men at the base of the staircase, waving some fingers at them in greeting. "I don't believe you ever got introduced officially, did you. This is Catherine, and Catherine, that sheep is Toby, that one is Jonny, and that is Orlando."

Catherine giggled, almost drunkenly. That was it, Orlando realized. That's what they all acted like. They seemed completely intoxicated. Not Vincent, but at least all of the girls. "It's hard to believe you were once like them…Weak…human…" she purred, looking down to Vincent and kissing the top of his head, a hand reaching and stroking a horn.

"Weak?" Orlando whined. "Weak? Low blow. But, um, I guess I can see why Katherine sort of got pushed aside…But, you know, Vincent, it's great and all that you've found your happiness, but why're you bringing us here in our sleep? Especially Toby, man? Why'd you have to bring the kid in on this?"

"Why do you always call me a kid?" Toby whined, holding his head and shaking it a little. "I don't want to be here, though. I used to dream about Erica…"

Jonny glanced to him and raised an eyebrow before shaking his head and sighing. "I really don't know what you see in her, kid." Then he too looked back to Vincent. "What Orlando said. I don't give a rat's ass about how you spend your days sleeping around with anything that moves. Frankly, I don't have the remotest interest in doing the same myself."

Vincent laughed, glancing to the woman who had moved down from the bed and was now stroking his chest, obviously loving every moment of their attention and touches. This was not the man they used to know. This was a sex-crazed demon, an incubus, and it twisted Orlando's gut to think so. But that reflex from yesterday…Maybe the real Vincent wasn't all gone. The human Vincent. The compassionate friend who had saved the lives of countless sheep by catching them when they fell, or by cheering them on on the platforms…Though all the details weren't there, Orlando knew Vincent had done a great deal of good in the dreams of several men. This demon wasn't that Vincent, but the chance that their old friend was still there helped relax his nerves. After all, Vincent wouldn't do anything bad to them…would he?

"Ladies," Vincent hummed; completely ignoring the questions aimed his way, tilting his head and kissing Catherine's jaw. "Can you play with them again? Show them a good time…" Reaching, he touched the nose of a woman, adding "No kiddie gloves." She swooned, falling aside, and Vincent chuckled, tilting his head back again so Catherine could continue to run her palms over his horns.

The doors from before swung open, and again they were confronted with several succubi. More sex? That's all? Maybe Vincent really was just trying to help out. After all, Orlando hadn't been getting a whole lot of tail lately…Hell, even before the nightmares he hadn't been getting much action. He couldn't speak for Jonny or Toby, though—they had girlfriends and both were still trying their best to hold onto them. Katherine seemed to have cold feet and Erica was…Erica. Orlando had no plans on refusing the attention of horny, sexy women. Demons or not. Especially if this was a dream world…

But it sounded like Toby did.

"No thank you! Please, Vincent, can you call them off! Please! Ack—no, no, please—" Toby struggled, especially as two women slunk up to him and took him by his arms. They literally dragged him off as though he weighed nothing, giggling all the while. Jonny sprung into defensive mode, lunging away before girls could grab him. He made a dive for Toby, grabbing onto his horns and briefly playing a game of tug-of-war.

Toby was being pulled from his horns and from his arms and Jonny seemed to realize he was fighting an unearthly force, as he started being dragged along too.

"Ow, Chief, make them stop!" Toby begged, and Jonny redoubled his efforts. Orlando watched, truly torn between helping and accepting the inevitable—his arms already had two lovely ladies attached to them and they were trying to coax him into looking away.

"Vincent! He doesn't want to go! Call them off!" Jonny snarled, looking up at the demon. Vincent pursed a lip playfully before he smirked, in a rather vicious fashion.

"What are you going to do if I don't, Jonny?" Vincent hummed, seemingly unaffected by the conflict. Toby let out a loud noise, before he jerked his head away from Jonny—the strain between him and the girls was hurting too badly and he knew Jonny was weaker than the girls. Soon he was pulled into a room, and the door snapped sharply behind them.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Jonny growled, thrusting a finger in his direction. "Why are you picking on the kid? What the hell did he do to you?"

"Maybe he needs to know what it's like to fuck a _woman_," Vincent replied, not even looking at them now, too busy enjoying Catherine playing with his dark hair. "You all are so tense. Relax. Have some fun. If you don't want it, I'll make you enjoy yourselves. No guest leaves here unsatisfied…I've whipped this place into shape. I know your kinks…I know how to please you. In ways I don't think you've ever imagined." He chuckled a bit and shut his eyes.

"They are really ungrateful, aren't they?" Catherine huffed. "Your friends don't deserve you…"

"I don't deserve you," Vincent hummed.

"Of course you do."

Vincent chuckled. "You're right."

Orlando resisted a bit the closer he was brought to a door, twisting to watch Jonny be dragged off too. Well, it was all just good fun, right? Just some sex. With pretty young things. No commitment…hell, it wasn't even real. Jonny and Toby were just too worked up. At least, that was what Orlando thought. Until the door shut behind him, and after some stumbling around, kissing with the girls on his way to the giant bed taking up the room, he soon found himself pinned to the soft mattress by a girl. He smiled, especially as she kissed his bare stomach and reached, stripping away his underwear. They kissed and shifted until they were closer to the headboard of the red-blanketed bed, and Orlando smiled as she pressed him to it, removing his hat and kissing his skin. The other girl crawled up too, touching his jaw, his shoulders, his wrist—click.

Orlando glanced over, trying to tug his arm out of her grip in his movement to twist and see what clicked, but something was holding him. A handcuff. He grinned, albeit a bit nervously. "Haha…kinky." Click. The other was locked too. Orlando tugged a bit, growing worried. "Hahaha, see, I'm not really into that whole BDSM stuff."

Regardless, though, the attention to his groin and any bits of available flesh was causing a stirring, especially when a brunette succubus with amazing endowments crawled onto the bed, appearing from seemingly nowhere. She straddled his waist, taking up his full attention, so Orlando was hardly aware at first that the other two girls were adjusting something to his ankles.

"He-Hey, hey! Hey wait a minute!" Orlando yelped, trying to look past her. "My ankles-!" He was sprawled eagle, though pretty uncomfortably in a partially upright position. "Look, this is great and all, but I'm fine without being tied up! We can have fun-" Then he saw an orange light, and with a sudden wave of horror he realized that it was a girl…with a brand. A really hot brand. Where in the hell did she get that thing?

"Holy shit! No thanks!" he yelled, trying to push himself as far away as he could, but with a his hands and ankles bound to the head and base of the bed and with succubi on his waist and both knees, there wasn't much moving that could be done. "Fuckfuckfuck!"

"No kiddie gloves," they echoed, giggling and looking to each other.

_Holy shit, Vincent's torturing us!_ was the last thought that crossed Orlando's mind before that brand pressed to his flesh.


	5. Day 3 Day

OOC: Good morning.

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><p>Orlando woke and sat forward so fast his head spun, and he clenched his eyes as tightly as he could shut. Oh god, everything ached so badly. His shoulders, his wrists, his back, his legs…Oh, and his hip hurt like a mother…He reached and gingerly touched at the spot, expecting a welt from the pain throbbing from the area, but he saw nothing. Wait, what? Why did he hurt so badly? What happened? He didn't remember getting in a fight or anything…Hell, he didn't even remember getting home from the bar last night.<p>

Groaning, Orlando tried to remember his dream, but as he went to itch himself, he realized little 'Lando was already up and rarin' to go—and in fact had already gone once. His underwear were dirty. Rubbing at the sticky fabric, he breathed out weakly, absolutely confused. Whatever he was dreaming about, it'd gotten him to orgasm …Why couldn't he remember it? He didn't feel like it was a good dream in the slightest. In fact, from his racing heartbeat and quick breathing and cold sweat, he felt completely freaked out. Scared. Kind of like the nightmares from before. But it wasn't like that. He didn't get physically sore from those…

Thinking of his ex-wife effectively chilled little 'Lando out and helped slow his heartrate. "Jeez…getting too old to be so worked up…Gonna have a heart attack," he mumbled, trying to calm himself. But he was scared. Something really bad had happened. The aches were really fucking persistent, too. All during his morning routine his hands shook, until finally he just took a swallow or two of some whisky to help settle himself. It helped, and he groaned quietly. "God damn it…I'm going to kill Boss," he mumbled, shutting his eyes, leaning his head on his liquor cabinet. He didn't like busting into his personal supplies alone. He didn't like drinking alone. Vincent didn't let him. Vincent used to invite himself over, to make sure he didn't.

Though Orlando never stopped Vincent from doing it himself.

Maybe if he had, he'd still be there now.

Why was Vincent on his mind? Orlando clenched his eyes shut. "Damn it. He was the messed up one during the nightmares. Not me." But it still felt like it had been Vincent who had pulled them all through that. He didn't remember the nightmares real well, even now. In his dreams before these recent ones, the details became clearer, but he never held onto them come dawn.

Work was hard to slog through. Every time he took a step, his hip sent waves of pain up his spine and he'd jerk a bit. Keeping his composure was hard as all hell, but he managed to play it all off as kinky sex and nobody really asked about it. For all he knew, it could've been…But really, it felt more like he'd been having kinky sex with the wrestler Feather and she was using him more like wrestling practice than a sex partner.

It was made harder to survive by the fact that his previous work buddy was gone. It wasn't like he didn't get along with others, but lunch at Kappa Heaven was made more lonely by the fact the seat beside him was empty and didn't have his old dopey friend there to make Orlando look good by comparison.

At the Stray Sheep, it was apparent Jonny and Toby weren't much better. Erica came by to take their orders.

"Sake."

"Whisky."

"Whisky."

Erica looked between the three men. "What's wrong with you guys? You look like hell. Don't tell me it's your dreams…"

Toby shut his eyes and rubbed his face in his hands. "Shhh! Shh! Don't say that word! Oh man…"

Jonny looked to the younger man worriedly before taking a drag and looking away. He flinched a little as he tilted his head a bit, as though his head hurt. Orlando shifted his thumb and rubbed at his pulsing hip, which he could barely keep his pants from digging into. It felt like it was burning. Erica frowned and went to go get their drinks, granting them a bit of momentary peace.

"Tobias," Jonny said quietly, and the use of his name made Toby look up and over. Jonny looked at him for a moment before averting his gaze again, this time to the table. "Do you remember it again?"

"What? My…?"

"Yeah. Do you?"

"Y-Yeah. It…It was really scary last night. It freaked me out so bad I woke up all sore," Toby admitted. "But…I mean, it was really, really scary, but something weird happened."

"Got you excited?" Orlando offered, adjusting his hat. Toby blushed, but nodded. "This is stupid. Damn it. I hate this shit. I can't believe it's happening again."

"Just when we think we're in the clear…" Jonny grunted. "I can't remember it, though. At all."

"Me either. Not in the slightest," Orlando agreed. "So how come just Toby gets to stay clued in?"

"The naivety of youth?"

Orlando's snort actually hurt a bit and he smiled wryly. Toby frowned and was going to say something, but Erica reappeared with their drinks, and she handed them out without question.

"Hey, you guys look pretty bad. These are on me, okay?"

"Thanks," Jonny mumbled. "Send Boss over. We need a word with him."

"Why do we need to talk to Boss?" Toby asked, looking nervously between them all as Erica turned away to obey.

Orlando and Jonny exchanged looks before Jonny turned to Toby and sighed a little. "Toby, do you remember the nightmares? And how Vincent, Orlando and I were having them? They were about us, and other men, as sheep. We had to climb a tower made out of blocks. I can't remember much besides that, but if you fell, you died. Well, Vincent figured out that Boss was involved—Boss was the one sending us and the other men into that nightmare. I don't even remember why. Vincent didn't really get a chance to explain. He and Orlando talked at work about it, but Vincent was so ready to meet up with his girl, he didn't really give us a lot to work off of."

"Vincent did that?" Toby said, looking to them. "And the nightmare was about climbing? That's not so bad."

Orlando smiled in a weak sort of way. "You wouldn't think, but with your worst nightmare, messed up sheep with weapons, and who the hell knows what else chasing you, climbing gets real tricky fast."

"Anyway," Jonny continued. "Vincent ended it. He made a deal with Boss, and ended it. He ended it for us, too. So, really, Vincent put his own ass on the line to save all of the other men in the nightmares. As well as our freedom from that hell, he got to meet up with the other girl. Catherine with a 'C'…not the other Katherine." Jonny took a drink and shook his head. "But she wasn't really real or something. So, honestly, I don't know if that means he's crazy or what, but he 'went off' with her. But the dreams were supposed to have ended. And if they're back…Boss is involved."

"He's been a coy son of a bitch about it," Orlando added, watching as the subject of their conversation approached.

Toby settled back in his seat, leaning his head back. "There was a Catherine in my dream. Vincent was with her..."

"How can I help you today?" Jonny and Orlando glared at Boss as he bowed politely, and the intensity with which they did so made Boss break out in a nervous sweat. They said nothing for a moment or two, just glared, taking drinks or taking a puff on a cigarette. Toby shifted in his seat awkwardly, rubbing at his stomach and shoulders, where he was presumably the sorest. Boss cracked a little. "U-Um, well, if there is nothing I can help you with—"

"Cut the bullshit," Jonny grunted. "What's going on?"

"I don't know what you're…"

"Sure you don't," Orlando interrupted, smirking. "Sure you don't. Why don't I rip those sunglasses off your face, geezer? Or would that upset some people here? Erica, Jonny and I know what's under there. She told us."

"U-Uh…well, when you put it like that…"

"What's the deal? I want a real answer," Jonny pressed, eyes narrowed still. "I think I mentioned something about if anything bad happened to the kid here I'd be upset? Well, he doesn't look very good, does he?"

"I swear, it's not my doing," Boss spilled, holding up his hands innocently, but quickly flustered and bowed. "Pardon me." He rushed off before the inquisition could continue, and Orlando gently tapped a clenched fist on the table.

"Damn it. He's a goddamn weasel. Not his doing? Then who the hell's behind this? Bullshit."

"Maybe we're overreacting," Jonny sighed. "Toby's had bad dreams and we're working ourselves up. Now he probably won't sleep any better knowing all that shit from before."

"Guys, I'm not a little kid," Toby interrupted. "I can handle some stress. I'm young but I'm not completely helpless. But those dreams are scary. And if they're like what you guys had before…then I don't know. Did you guys get harassed by lots of pretty girls before?"

Orlando and Jonny looked surprised. "Girls?" Jonny asked. "No. No girls at all."

"Really? But my dreams…the women are like demons, right? And they do all these bad things. They chained me up, and they touched me and they …" Toby blushed as Erica walked by to take an order from someone else and he looked away. "They just did weird things."

"Strange," Jonny mused, and Orlando took a drink. "I don't know what to make of that, Toby."

"Me either. That's not quite the nightmarish dream you had us thinking you were in."

They talked and drank for a bit longer, deciding to give up discussion for the night. Like before, they got a bit more liquored up than usual, not entirely ready to face the night.

Though Orlando could remember nothing, he was still anxious for what would happen. Hopefully it was just a two-night fluke…Besides, he was getting pretty sick of messing up his pants in the night. He only had so many pairs of clean underwear he could dirty before he had to do the laundry… 

_I know your kinks…I know how to please you. You will come to enjoy it. Just give it time._


	6. Day 4 Night

OOC: I could use some feedback on this chapter. I feel a little fishy about it, and if someone can help me identify what it's missing/what's bringing it down, that'd be great. And though I don't have more than one review, I know I've got a handful of pretty consistent readers, from all over. So, thanks guys :3 It means a lot.

But for now...night approaches...

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><p>Orlando moaned, holding his head, lying back on the platform. "Oh man…Oh shit…" His hip jerked and he looked down to the grisly sheep's head that had been branded onto his skin. It was a violent color and looked painful—which it really was. "I don't know what I prefer now. Blocks and falling to my death or demonic women wielding brands…"<p>

"All you got was a brand?" Toby whined, rubbing at his arms. A ring of thick bruises ran around his arms, just along his biceps, and his stomach was rather bruised. "They tied me up and beat the crap out of me! But I still got it up, which means I must be messed up."

Jonny was smoking, sitting with his back against the door, staring out into the abyss. He had a cut along his temple that could only be seen if he shifted his head right. "I got a good knocking around too. Mostly verbal abuse, though. Hmph…Do you think we can stay on this platform all night long?"

"We can give it a go," Toby sighed, sitting by Jonny and hanging his head between his knees. "I wouldn't mind dreaming about sitting on a platform all night long with sheep. It's better than having scary ladies beating me up and then raping me."

"I can't say mine was rape," Orlando sighed, remaining lying down. "Even after they burned the shit out of me, I can't say I was unwilling."

"What's the matter with Vincent?" Toby demanded, lifting his head. "I thought we were friends! Now that he's a demon he's gone all messed up! This is because of that Catherine-with-a-C, isn't it? Was she the blondie demon he was banging when we showed up yesterday?"

"Well, he introduced us to her, didn't he?" Jonny muttered.

"I don't think Vince is totally demonized," Orlando said, sitting forward. "Remember two nights ago, Jonny? When you mentioned Katherine-with-a-K? Vincent reacted. Maybe he isn't completely gone…because five years of love for a girl doesn't just vanish. Love…doesn't vanish." He sighed a little and rubbed at his head, adjusting his hat, before he stood, meaning to pace.

Half of the platform cracked. Orlando looked down, as he stood on one side of the line, and the other side had the door, Jonny and Toby.

"This just keeps getting better," Orlando moaned.

The half Orlando was on shook, and from the edge it began to crumble and fall. Orlando yelped, making a lunge for the edge, but the floor fell away under him before he could get a good footing for a jump. He felt his hands miss the stable half of the platform and in horror he realized he was going to plummet to his death. "No! Damn it!" Orlando yelled, shutting his eyes.

But something grabbed his hand. He looked up and met Jonny's even gaze.

"Getting heavy in your old age," Jonny grunted, shifting his posture as he heaved. Toby got a clue and dived to help, grabbing one of Orlando's hands and tugging him. With the combined effort Orlando managed to get a foot on the ledge and scramble up. Looking back to the abyss he had nearly fallen into, he huffed heavily and rolled back over, not caring he was sprawled out on the now-much-smaller dusty platform. Toby crouched and patted his shoulder.

"Looks like this thing will fall away," Jonny sighed. "I guess we have no choice. We've got to face him again."

"Damn it."

Toby sighed and shook his head. "This is not cool. At all. I mean, even if I wasn't with Erica, I still wouldn't like this. And I know this is a dream, but it's not just a dream. We got hurt in real life too. Maybe there was no physical proof, but I saw how you walked, Orlando. And how you'd move your head, Chief."

"We can continue trying to figure it out and fall off the platform, or we can just face it," Jonny grunted, moving to the door. "This time, he isn't going to take me. I've got Katherine. I'm happy I have her. I will not be punished for my choice."

"I don't know if that's why-" Orlando started, but Jonny opened the door and cut him off. Standing, he and Toby followed after Jonny into the uncomfortably familiar throne room.

Today, Vincent was alone—no girls could be seen. The bed was made, and Vincent was sitting at the edge, drinking from a cup and staring off into space. When the trio arrived Vincent's red eyes refocused, and he smiled at them absently. "That little performance on the platform, that was a bit like old times, wasn't it?"

"You saw that?" Orlando replied, smiling (though in a nervous way) and gesticulating. "You're making me think that you had something to do with that."

Vincent smiled, but in a way that made Orlando's skin break out in goosebumps. The incubus stood, taking a drink, and started down the steps. The closer he got, the more antsy the three men felt, but none of them budged. Vincent didn't stop before them—in fact, he just kept walking. He walked right past them, and to Orlando's surprise, to a door that had been behind them. Though the one they stepped through had vanished, behind them there had been one leading from the throne room the entire time. Of course there had to be a door, Orlando realized, feeling stupid. What was I thinking? Vincent didn't spend all day hanging around in just this one room. Not that…this was really reality…maybe?

Dream worlds were really getting on his nerves.

Vincent opened it and gestured for them to follow. There was some shared uneasiness, but Orlando reluctantly moved first and the other two followed him. They moved down a dark corridor, and soon to a new door down some hallway. It was like an ancient castle, but not entirely. There was mostly brick, but not in the ancient fashion—it was almost modern. It was kind of an odd thing to look at. If they tried to talk to him, Vincent would just ignore them. But as they kept going, and noted Vincent's vague unsteadiness, Toby came to a conclusion.

"You have no clue where we are."

Vincent flinched like he was hit by an anvil, and he looked back with a bit of a sheepish, but familiar, smile. Orlando felt his heart skip a beat or two. That was him! Vincent! That was their idiot, not this demon!

"Um…Well…I'm still learning," the incubus said quickly, coughing and looking down a new hallway. "I'm bringing you guys to new rooms. The girls didn't have a lot of fun last time. And if I can't keep them excited, they don't do their jobs."

"Wait, we're just succubus bait?" Toby accused, frowning. "Find someone else! I'm done with this!"

"No kidding," Jonny agreed. "I don't want to play along. And you just lost all intimidation you had built up, Vincent. Now I know you're still the idiot I grew up with."

"Yep, the same and only Vincent," Orlando added, seeing just from Vincent's posture that he was panicking and trying to think of something to say. He really wasn't all demon. Vincent was still there…

But then Vincent straightened up and looked back to them, and he tossed aside his drink. The chalice clattered loudly to the floor, its remaining contents staining the wall. His red eyes, narrowed, looked them over, before moving. He went not for Toby nor for Orlando, but for Jonny. He grabbed the dark-haired man by his upper arm and pulled him close, setting his teeth into the other's neck, his free hand grabbing Jonny's jacket and ripping away the material. He withdrew his mouth, which had drawn blood, and it was at this point that Orlando stopped staring and moved. Toby remained still, gawking, surprised by the violence from the man they had just recognized to still have parts of Vincent.

Jonny groaned, eyes shut, a hand on his neck and the other feebly trying to push Vincent away, but the demon had twisted him and pressed him to the wall, using Jonny's blood to inscribe something onto Jonny's bare chest. Orlando grabbed onto Vincent's arm and tried to pull, but he felt the smooth hands of something touching him and easily pulling him away.

"What's going on?" Catherine asked, tilting her head, frowning at Vincent. She pushed Orlando aside like he was a child. Vincent whipped to look at her, wiping the blood from his mouth, rubbing the blood on his finger off on Jonny, who slid down to the floor, some kind of diagram drawn on him.

"It's not my blood," he said quickly, like he was in trouble.

After a moment, Catherine smiled and moved, kissing him. At the taste of blood she laughed. "Well, daddy hates messes in the castle, but I suppose that doesn't matter anymore. I don't have to listen to him…now that you're in charge…" She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him again, and as he easily slid a hand behind her back and kept her close, he looked to the three boys. Toby was still staring, while Jonny had his eyes shut and was mumbling quietly. Orlando crouched and quickly shouldered him.

"Now I'm saving your ass. We're even for tonight. Toby, wake up! We're getting out of here! Somehow!"

And Orlando, baring most of Jonny's weight, started down the hall. Toby hurriedly followed, glancing briefly back to Vincent, who was holding Catherine tight to him, kissing her and running a hand over her rear.

"Why did Vincent do that?" Toby asked, moving and taking up the other side of Jonny when Orlando was breathing too heavy to reply.

"Why don't you go back and ask him?" Jonny mumbled. "Let him take a plug out of _you_…"

"Shut up, Jonny, don't talk. Fuck, you're bleeding everywhere…What did he draw on you?"

"I don't know…"

"I thought you told the Chief to not talk?"

"Shut up, Toby. There's got to be an exit somewhere. Or, at least someplace we can hang out until we wake up."

The rushed through what seemed like hallway after hallway, but they seemed to be no closer to any exit. How big was this place? Where were they? The bleeding was lessening, and Jonny walked for himself, though they had to slow for him.

"Fuck cigarettes, I'm never smoking again," Jonny mumbled. "Aw, shit, I lie. I need one pretty bad right now."

"We need to get out of here now, don't think about ciga….Oh no," Orlando said, but was cut off as he opened a door, and there he saw nothing but succubi, sprawled over several beds, the floor, with some blankets here and there. With a synchronized smile, several girls got up and moved to them. Orlando barely was able to back up before his arms were snatched and he was hauled inside. The door was shut behind them, and his contact with Toby and Jonny was severed.

"Hey, let go! Get off! I'm not interested!"

But damn they were so cute…But there was one that really caught his eye. It was the brunette, from last night. The 'gifted' one. She, nude as almost every other creature in this realm, moved to him, taking his hands, placing them on her curvy hips. He was mesmerized, and before he knew it, he was feeling her hips, her sides, her breasts, and for some reason he wasn't breathing right. Oh, right; he was kissing her so passionately he wasn't doing a whole lot of 'breathe out, breathe in'.

Lured onto a mattress, he didn't care that she laid him on his back, and he didn't care when she took away his hat. They kissed, she touched him, he touched her, the contact was hot and heavy. The room was so stuffy…Orlando wasn't sure he was getting enough air to his brain and paused to breathe and admire the woman who was touching him in all the right places. And just as he breathed through his mouth to get a good gulp of air, a gag was pulled right in. A cloth. Wait, when did his hands get tied up too?

Shit!

And before he could try and squirm away, the brunette demon smiled at him, and pulled a blindfold over his eyes. Panic set in. What were they going to do? Oh shit! This harpy! She lowered all of his defenses, and the worst part was, little 'Lando was still game. Why? He was scared out of his brain! Curse his body! Curse _her_ body, actually. What part of succubus failed to stop him in the first place?

Smack! Orlando had no way to prepare himself for the solid smack he received. He was about to muffle a complaint, but he heard something that stopped him dead.

"It was your fault she left you. You deserve this. You want this," one of the girls, maybe the brunette?, whispered. "You like being punished. You hate yourself. Just accept it. Enjoy it. Enjoy your pain. Your body already does."

That was when she broke his hand.


	7. Day 4 Day

"Yeah, I can't really show up today. I mean, I could, but with this hand, the programming is going to lose a lot of sophistication. And by that, I mean it's going to turn into pointless gibberish because I can't use my hand…That's great, I'm glad you understand."

Click. The phone was set down on the end table by the bed and its owner walked into the bathroom, stepping into the shower. A little bit after the water started, his phone rang, but he wasn't there to answer, and a call went to voicemail.

_Hey…it's me. I think we should talk. Do you want to meet me at Kappa Heaven later?_

The water turned off. The phone's owner returned, saw a blinking light on the phone, and the toweled man listened to the message left for him. Her voice was like a knife, and it cut every time he heard it. Just what he needed…

He snapped the phone shut, and after a heavy sigh, he shut his eyes.

Orlando got dressed and wrapped up his bad hand, which was completely unusable. It wasn't swollen or anything, but the slightest twitch made him bite his tongue. His cheek was a bit sore, too, as though he'd been smacked around. These aches and pains were a serious harsh, but on the upside he was getting out of work. The panic and fear from yesterday had not carried over; he had woken up sweaty, sore, and as erect as ever, but not scared like before. His hip still was giving him trouble, too. Could he not catch a break?

Eventually he got around to calling his ex-wife back. Before, he wouldn't have ever even considered it…How dare she? But…After the nightmares, and after talking to Vincent…he knew he wasn't innocent. He was still hurt, to a point that just hearing her voice…But as he spoke with her, uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn on the phone, he didn't see her when he was thinking. What he saw instead was flashes, maybe of his dreams, of a woman with brown hair and large breasts. He didn't mean to, and even thinking of his ex-wife was like taking a cold shower, but that woman was in his brain.

Did he even know her? Strange.

He talked his ex out of meeting at lunch, blaming his injuries, but it was mostly because he wasn't ready to 'talk'. Perhaps he was more aware of what the situation had been than before, a bit less delusional about it, but he still wasn't ready to accept it.

Eventually he got up and visited Kappa Heaven anyway, wanting some sushi and just hoping his ex didn't plan on going regardless of his answer. While he sat down and ate, a woman with long brown hair sat beside him. He looked to her, almost wanting to ask her to give him some space, but….she was so familiar…And damn, she was stacked.

Goosebumps rose up on his skin. "Have we met?" he asked, smiling, winking an eye. Though he definitely wasn't much in the mood, he knew this woman. This was the woman he had been thinking about when talking to his ex. How did he know her? Where had they met before?

She looked to him, seeming to be annoyed by his mere presence. Looking away, she seemed completely unaffected, like he was boring.

Snubbed? Time for renewed efforts.

"I know you from some place. Did we go to the same school? Nah, I kid, you look way younger than my old bones," Orlando continued, gesturing with his good hand.

The woman looked to him again, before tilting her head a little, just enough to seem as though she was looking not only at him, but through him. The piercing gaze was unnerving and Orlando laughed, trying hard to break her icy stare. Finally, she seemed to be satisfied, and she looked back to her plate.

"Samantha," she said simply. "I don't know if we've met or not, but if you're looking for a quick fling, I'm willing. I don't like games," she added, before he could interject. She sighed and stood, adjusting her dress, and looked to him. "Write your address on that napkin and I will come see you later. After eleven, because I have work."

Orlando couldn't believe his ears. A woman like that, ready to just jump into bed with a stranger? And she was hot! Maybe she was crazy, but wasn't everyone? The initial depression from talking with his ex-wife and from dealing with his aches and pains was all but washed away. This was now the best day ever!

Orlando practically skipped to the Stray Sheep that evening, but when he saw the others were already there, he toned down his excitement.

Jonny was already as drunk as a skunk, barely even awake. Toby was pretty red-faced, but was a bit more coherent.

"Did we jump ahead an hour? I can never keep up with that setting the clocks forward or behind thing," Orlando mused, sitting down in his usual spot and preserving the second half for someone who wouldn't ever take it again.

"Aw, shut up," Tobey mumbled. "Why didn't you ever tell me Erica was born a dude?"

Orlando stared, before looking to Jonny for some help on the context of what he had walked right into. Jonny glanced up a bit, jerking a little as though surprised someone was looking at him, but then took a labored drag on his cigarette and shrugged a shoulder.

"She told him herself. Felt bad about it or something," he slurred.

"Don't bother the Chief," Toby added defensively. "He hasn't been feeling good all day. He even had to ask the big boss for the day off! And he never needs the day off…We came here early."

Jonny's eyes slid shut and he shifted his head to the music from the jukebox, completely in his own little world. Orlando frowned. Jonny wasn't usually the one who got this bad. Sometimes Toby. Usually Vincent. Occasionally Orlando. But hardly Jonny. Jonny kept work in mind, unlike Orlando or Vincent. Hell, Jonny liked work.

"I asked for today off too," Orlando said slowly, raising his bad hand, which he had wrapped with a support bandage pretty tightly. When he had felt the hand over (the slightest touch caused tears to rise up, so he had been a pretty ridiculous sight as he tried to self-examine himself) nothing felt broken or bad, so he just assumed he had slept on it horribly, horribly wrong. "I'm hardly any good as a software designer if I can't type right."

Toby shook his head. "No. I mean, sorry you're hurt too, but don't distract. Why didn't you tell me Erica was—"

"You're making too much of a deal out of it," Erica interrupted, appearing with a beer for Orlando. He drank from it eagerly. Jonny raised his drooping head and asked for another sake, but was ignored. He ended up forgetting himself and once more focused on the music or something. Whatever. Toby was about to complain and she smiled. "Come on, Toby. I'm allll woman. You saw for yourself. Don't be so upset."

"It's just kinda creepy," Tobey settled on. "I mean…Alright, will you guys hear me out real fast? It's these dreams still. This time, I ended up with this red haired girl, and she kinda looked like you, Erica, but it wasn't you. She was the Hulk! I swear! This dream lady, she was beefy and ripped and this time, she didn't beat me up, but jeez…Do you think my dream means something?"

"Maybe you saw me as a wrestler," Erica said, winking. "Speaking of dreams, are they still as bad as before? None of you seem as shaken as yesterday. Well…okay, except for Jonny. He looks real rough. What happened to him, anyway?"

The sound of the door opening distracted Erica, and she quickly straightened up. Orlando raised an eyebrow before twisting to look, but there was no one at the door. The sound of someone sitting by him made him jerk the other way and look next to him—and he just about had a heart attack.

"Holy shit! Katherine! Don't sneak up like that!" Orlando gasped, holding his good hand on his chest. The aforementioned woman had walked right in and sat down next to him, the only open seat. Toby realized quickly that her icy stare meant for him to stand. He hurriedly did so, and Katherine stood up to take his spot instead.

"Thank you Tobias," she said, and once beside Jonny, he shifted and leaned into her, his eyes shut again.

"Kat?" Erica said, tilting her head. "Wow. You look great."

Katherine looked to her, almost surprised. "Oh. Erica. Um, thank you. Sorry, I don't mean to seem so distant. Jonny called me."

"When did he do that?" Toby asked. "I've been with him almost all day."

"Jonny and Toby~…" Orlando hummed, but he wilted under Katherine's intense stare. "I kid, I kid! You know I'm messing around."

Katherine rolled her eyes a bit before sighing, shaking her head and adjusting her glasses. "He called about a half an hour ago. He sounded pretty drunk…and here he is. I was worried. I'm glad you three were watching him."

"Do you know why the Chief is so bad? He didn't say much to me," Toby asked, settling down by Orlando and purposely bumping his bad hand in the process. Orlando moaned a bit, playing it up for attention. Erica moved to try and help or something, he wasn't sure what she wanted to do, but his look of disgust was enough to offend her and she went off.

Katherine looked to Jonny, then quietly moved so he was more comfortable. "He called me this morning. I told him not to call in the mornings, I'm busy, but he was rather upset." She shook her head. "It was a bad dream. Silly. He told me that Vincent was out to get him for being my boyfriend."

"Vincent was in my dream," Toby said, straightening, but Orlando elbowed him in the ribs.

"Yeah, you've been dreaming about a naked Vincent the last few nights. Wonder how that makes you look," he teased, but then looked to Katherine, who seemed to be more focused on coaxing Jonny from his seat than caring what they were doing. "Vincent's gone. I doubt he's hounding Jonny for being with you. Hey, speaking of which, Katherine, I've been meaning to ask you…"

"We were growing apart anyway," she interrupted. "Yes, I miss him. There is a reason why we were together for so long. If some things had been changed, certain events might not have happened, but they did. I don't regret breaking up with him, and while I'm fairly certain it had something to with his disappearance, I would do it again." She looked to him sharply. "Are you satisfied?"

"Quite," Orlando said, eyes on the table, flustered. "Quite satisfied. Roger. Read you loud and clear."

"Chief?" Toby asked. "Get up and go home with Katherine, okay? You are going to stay with him, right, Katherine?"

"My stomach…" Jonny mumbled, dropping his cigarette on the floor and wrapping his arms around himself sluggishly. Katherine sighed and put it out with her shoe, getting up and gently taking his shoulders, trying to pull him closer to the edge.

"I'm not sure about this thing with him," Katherine sighed when he seemed completely unwilling. "I don't really want another relationship, but he seemed so desperate I had to give him a chance."

"Don't break his heart," Orlando said, frowning. "If you plan on letting him down, don't do it like you did with Vincent. Don't drag it along. I know you're an ice queen-" her glare made him flinch "—but he's got a soft core."

"Erica? Get Chief something to throw up in—" Toby called, standing a bit, as he seemed to be the only one literally watching Jonny. Every time Katherine touched him, he mumbled a bit, holding himself tighter. Orlando watched her continue to try and get him out of the booth, but the more she tried the more reluctant he was.

"Katherine," he finally said. "Stop touchin' him. It's like you're hurting him. I know you're not, but watch."

Jonny relaxed slowly, just as Erica came by with a bucket she had scrounged from the kitchen. It was Jonny himself who figured out the cause of the pain by curiously running a hand under his shirt, feeling his skin, and then pulled up his shirt to look down. Orlando stared and Toby paled. Katherine and Erica gasped. In red, raised lines, some kind of design was displayed on Jonny's pale skin.

"Vincent did that, in my dreams, to sheep-Jonny," Toby whispered.

And when Toby said that, Orlando remembered it too. "Yeah. Yeah! And that bite on his neck. Vincent bit him and then drew that. What is it? Some Satanist pentagram bullshit thing?"

"Stop talking about Vincent. I don't care if he was in your dreams. Jonny, how did that get there? This isn't funny," Katherine asked sharply. "Why did you drink so much? Now you're practically useless."

Erica gave her a sad look. "Kat…"

But Jonny was in no condition to answer. With help from Erica, Jonny got to his feet, and from there Katherine dragged him away, but almost as soon as she touched him he once more seemed to be in pain. Watching them go was hard, and Orlando looked to Toby uncomfortably. Other details from the dream were still lost, but that moment, in that creepy hallway, when Vincent snapped and went (literally) for the throat was there. And if Toby had dreamed it…That meant that maybe they all were truly in a new set of nightmares. And what was happening there was transitioning to this world.

Boss was aware that two people were wishing very unfortunate things to happen to him just then.

"Hopefully when Jonny's more sober tomorrow, Katherine'll try to whip an answer out of him," Orlando sighed. "That girl needs to lighten up. Oh, speaking of girls, I gotta split, kid. You get home too. I've got a date."

"I wish I had a date with a girl," Toby moped, but let Orlando out and followed him to the door. They bid farewell to Erica before taking off, splitting at the door.

Orlando arrived at home and after a bit of waiting (during which time he groomed himself and cleaned up) he got the knock he was waiting for. Letting Samantha, the girl from before, in, she scoped his place briefly before she set aside her purse on his table and looked him over. He hardly opened his mouth to greet her before she moved and kissed him. Damn! She was amazing! The fireworks that exploded in his brain were very distracting, especially as she led him to his bed and he didn't even know it. This was amazing! No talking, no excuses, no bullshit…This woman was crazy but incredible!

Until he felt the handcuffs snap on his wrist to his headboard bars.

"Kinky," Orlando said, smiling, before wincing as she looked to his other hand. "Ah, um, you don't have to do both. This one hurts—Ow ow!" She snatched it carelessly and jammed it to the headboard, snapping a cuff on it. "Damn it! What's wrong with you!" he yelped, tears of pain springing to his eyes. "Ohhh man…"

She silenced him with an aggressive kiss, and soon her dress was gone, and those incredible breasts were in his face—ooh, if only he had use of one of his hands, pained or no! God damn…They were just right there! Begging! And her hair, her eyes…Her lithe, naked body…

She worked him over, turning him out faster than a whore turned tricks. Soon he was panting, sweaty, naked (and now in need of buying a new shirt ), and a bit sticky in spots. The woman licked her lips and continued to stroke at him.

"Hey," he said breathlessly. "I'm—It just ain't gonna happen twice in a row. Maybe in my youth but I need more than five minutes between—come on, stop, it's not going to—seriously, you're kind of chaffing now—Come on, knock it off!" He bucked his hips, but she violently smacked his hip, in the spot that hurt. He yelled, surprised she knew where he was hurting. There were no marks….About to complain again at her continued attempts at getting little 'Lando on his feet, he was both shocked and horrified to see little 'Lando respond to the desperate call of duty. This girl had some kind of magic touch, or something. And damn sharp nails.

"Hey, I'm good. I'm still winded from before! But damn, you have talent—"

"Yes, I do," she purred, smirking dangerously. "It won't be long before I'll be all you want."

Then she dug her nails into little 'Lando.


	8. Day 5 Night

Jonny took a drag, standing by the door, watching Toby and Orlando sleep. Orlando was writhing—still transitioning from regular sleep to dream sleep. Toby was sleeping like a baby; he wasn't quite asleep yet in the regular world. They creeped him out. Jonny didn't like sheep. He wasn't even too hot on alpacas or llamas. Even with the cute accents, like the blonde hair or the hats, they were big, talking, waking sheep and they made him uncomfortable.

Flicking the cigarette away into the abyss, Jonny rubbed at the side of his neck, where Vincent's bite had spread into deep bruising and left several angry marks. On his belly he could see the redness where the diagram had been drawn into him. It had been causing him all kinds of discomfort and pain in the real world, sending pains through him whenever he even thought of Katherine. The succubi who had been demeaning Jonny every night, Emily, resembled her…but in a bit of a twisted way. Once that door to whatever bedroom he was in shut, she mutated into some kind of demonic creature, something not entirely human.

Behind that door, Vincent and Emily awaited.

Behind that door, Vincent would continue to torture him. It had to be because he was with Katherine. There was no other reason their idiot would do terrible things…besides the entire incubus thing. That could be good enough motivation, but Jonny wanted to put a bit more faith in his childhood friend. Vincent wouldn't just 'go evil', and after seeing a bit of him yesterday, Jonny was convinced Vincent was still there…and he was trying to defend what had once been his.

Vincent gave up a good woman for a fantasy. Jonny would not tolerate punishment for being the better man.

While Orlando and Toby transitioned to their new hell, Jonny grew angrier and angrier. He knew it was foolish, to be so desperately, stupidly, irrationally in love with a woman who had hardly ever even considered him anything more than a classmate, but it was now his turn! He finally had a chance! And Vincent was ruining it!

Turning to the door, he opened it and entered, leaving Toby and Orlando behind.

"Vincent," Jonny called, walking toward the stairs. He faltered, however, when he saw not Vincent, but his companion. Catherine. She was lying her belly on the bed at the top of the stairs, legs crossed above her, her chin resting on a palm. She smiled at him, waving some fingers, crossing and uncrossing her legs. With a little laugh, she shook her head, shifting her creepily long hair. Finally, her red eyes only half-lidded and she sighed.

"You're adorable. Too bad you won't be the one to survive these trials. Vincent tells me that the one who survives will find true love," she hummed. "He's been down here for a while…And you figure, a mind like his, that can solve block puzzles in seconds? It needed some way to entertain itself. He's such a sexy genius…For a moron." She laughed a little. "I never took him for wanting to play the same game he hated so much, but I'll admit that maybe we've all been spoiling him a bit too much."

"Ego. It's a killer," Jonny said darkly. "Where is he? And what do you mean, I won't be the one to survive?"

Catherine smiled and winked, sticking out her tongue a bit. "I really shouldn't say anything, I'll spoil the game! But…" She put a finger to her lips briefly. "I heard that if you survive, you'll get the girl you want. Vincent's got the power to make things easier with the girl of your dreams." She winked again. "You want the other Katherine, right? What a shame. You're the dark horse of this race, Jonathan."

Jonny scowled at her. "Dark horse, huh? Be ready to eat your words, demon. All of us are going to survive this, and damn it all, Vincent won't ruin my chance with Katherine. What's wrong with you, anyway? Can't you see that he still cares for her? Probably more than you? He's just let this demon nonsense get to his fat head! Why do you think he's made it so I can't even think about her without getting stomach cramps? He's jealous!"

"Shut up!" Catherine snapped, her voice twisting into something fiercer than expected. Jonny tried to hide his flinch as a simple adjustment of his stance. "Little lamb, you better watch yourself. Vincent's mine, you hear? And I'm his. As long as I'm his number one, I don't care what he does. But I _am_ his number one."

Jonny was about to say more when he heard the door behind the platform door open. Vincent entered and walked past the open 'doorway' to the dream world, where Toby and Orlando were just starting to come to. Vincent kept moving until he was by Jonny, and he turned to look at the other. Vincent was taller and stronger than Jonny remembered him, but being a demon had its perks, he was sure.

Like jerking around your friends and torturing them.

"You abandoned her. When she needed your safeness the most, you left her. And now you punish me, for trying to clean up the pieces and put things right?" Jonny seethed, and was angry when Vincent simply turned away and moved up the steps. There, he sat by Catherine, leaning and looping an arm over her shoulder. With a twist, he kissed the top of her head, though she looked up at him unsurely.

But she could ask, Vincent shook his head. "No…Babe, I gave up parts of my soul for you. That's more than I ever gave to Katherine. I didn't even give her jewelry for Christmas." He smiled and kissed her, and she was comforted. She crawled onto him, pushing him down, and after kissing and stroking his bare body (much to Jonny's discomfort), she moved her hands around his throat.

And dug in her nails. "I worry sometimes, Vincent. I know you gave up plenty to be with me…but I worry. Perhaps playing with your friends has caused you to think twice about our eternal love? I _am_ your number one girl, aren't I, Vincent?"

"Give me some air and I'll be able to prove it," Vincent replied squarely, eyes narrowing a bit. "Keep in mind who your boss is now, babe." After a moment, he smiled. "How would you like to do it on the desk of your boss?"

"Oh Vincent!" Catherine giggled, releasing him and kissing him messily. "Sorry if I scared you! I just worry! The desk, huh? Where would that be?"

"Right here."

"I don't even have to walk? My, you are a good boss…"

Orlando and Toby had staggered in now, looking to Jonny. Orlando was a bit of a rough figure, with various bruises on his sheep's body, not to mention his mutilated hand and his branded hip. Toby was a giant bruise himself, or as bruised as a sheep could look with all that fluff, and was limping a bit. It seemed his foot was granting some pain, but there was a different kind of stiffness going on there too... None of them were surviving these trials real well. Each of them seemed to have their own succubus temptress of pain…one they were helpless but to be attracted to and by. And each of their succubi was beating the crap out of them.

"Hey Jonny, way to start the party without us," Orlando grunted, sounding tired, even in this dream world. He rubbed at his groin, taking a moment to baby himself. "Good god Samantha…Vincent, she put holes in me. I'm going to pee like I have a strainer for a dick…"

"Eww," Toby piped in. "Gross, man! I don't need to know that! Innocent ears!"

"Oh yeah? What's going on up there?"

Toby looked to where Vincent and Catherine were now entangled with each other and groaned appropriately, shielding his eyes. "Sick! Demon sex!"

The door to the platform snapped shut, and they were trapped again. Jonny could tell that Vincent and Catherine were a bit too involved with each other, and turned for the throne room door. He left wordlessly. What if…What if Vincent wasn't torturing him because of Katherine? Then why? To help them find love? Bullshit. To give them tail? Also bullshit. Was it because Vincent wasn't in full control of his own head? This demon shit…Damn it, Jonny wished he hadn't gotten curious about Vincent at all. He had made a choice, the end, and all lives were trying to move on.

Dwelling wasn't the answer. It never was. Just like dwelling on Katherine when he should've been moving on…it was stupid…

"Yo, wait up, man!" Orlando said, following after. Toby caught up too, but his foot was causing him some problems. Jonny held up, and once they were together Jonny briefly crouched to examine Toby's foot. Which was hard…the whole sheep thing still wigged him out.

Jonny rubbed at the others ankle briefly before straightening. "How's that, Toby?"

"Aww, better, Chief. You know everything," Toby cheered. "So, what's the plan?"

"Avoid the succubi," Orlando contributed, adjusting his hat. "Not think about Vincent having sex. Though, to be honest, my succubus sort of met up with me in real life. Not that I'll remember when I wake up that she's a succubus…Just a cold hearted bitch." He sighed. "Damn it. I'd like a woman to just borrow for a while. I don't want anything crazy or committed."

"Good thing that's how life works, Orlando. Way to think realistically," Jonny muttered, turning to start walking again. Orlando kept up, but both had to slow down for Toby. The never-ending halls and stairs grew old fast, especially on the third staircase down, in which Orlando practically had to carry Toby.

"Gross, Toby, you smell like sheep sweat."

"You're not much better. I don't know how we can be sweating, though, it's like sixty degrees below here," Toby muttered, sounding sleepy. Jonny looked back to them, realizing they really weren't getting anywhere…and plus he was aching for a cigarette like crazy. He got one a night here. He woke up with one, usually because he went to bed with one. Katherine hated that. She said he could catch his bed on fire and die. She was really good at conjuring happy images…But he didn't really mind. Proved she cared, anyway.

"You want to stay in this stairwell? Doesn't look like we can get dragged off by succubi here. It'd be too hard," Jonny said, and Orlando snorted.

"Famous last words."

"You have a better idea?"

"What? Oh, no. Your plan is fine."

"Alright then," Jonny grunted, sliding down and sitting on a step, glaring at the far wall sullenly. "I'm glad we've come to a general consensus."

"Guys, come on. All we have are each other here," Toby interjected. "Can we not bicker? Besides, Orlando's too busy glaring to notice he's completely scraping me into the wall…"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, kid. Didn't see you there."

"Ha ha ha…" Toby sighed, relaxing as he was set down. "Oh man…I don't want to see her tonight…"

Orlando looked between them. "Hey, what is your crazy demon girlfriend of the night? Mine's some girl…She…actually kind of looks like my ex. But with big knockers. She has this thing for really rough sex." He frowned a bit. "I sort of see what he did there now…I didn't really notice the resemblance until just now…"

"Looks like Katherine," Jonny said with a shrug. "She calls me names…Smacks me around a bit. Basically makes me feel like shit, makes me cry and then we have sex."

"You, cry?" Toby said, eyes wide. "Even you cry? No way, Jonny. Jeez…"

"What about you, Toby?" Orlando asked, nudging him.

The youngest of them sighed, looking between his legs. "Um…well…She looks like Erica. But she's all big and tough and has all these muscles. She holds me down and sometimes she hits me pretty hard. Other times she just…I don't know, dominates me. Like…" Toby blushed pretty badly. "She…um…had a strap on….last night…"

Orlando and Jonny stared.

"…And you still…?"

"Shut up! Shut up, it's not like that!" Toby blurted, embarrassed. "She says it's because I like having someone stronger than me on top of me. And…if Erica was…'Eric'…I mean…she's—"

"Kid, you are seriously messed up," Orlando sighed. "I wish you'd said something sooner."

"What, getting beaten up and telling you guys my dreams during the day wasn't saying something?" Toby replied, huffing. "I think I was being pretty loud and clear!"

Jonny shook his head a little. "Toby. Don't get upset. None of these things is what we like. They're trying to convince us otherwise. I don't like feeling like garbage. You don't like that whole S-and-M shit, Orlando, and you don't like that dominance thing, Toby. Don't let them tell you otherwise. This is all a game."

"How do you know, Chief?"

"Catherine-with-a-C told me. When you guys hadn't woken up here yet. Said this was all a game, made up by a bored Vincent. And the winner gets their love." Jonny looked to them and shrugged. "But this isn't a game. Not for us. If we don't watch it, we could get hurt bad enough that we might not even wake up. Just avoid the succubi, for as long as possible. Until morning, if we can. It's the only solution I can think of right now."

Orlando shifted. "Hey, Jonny, if it's just that Vincent's bored, why'd he scribble that doodle on your belly?"

"I don't know. It only hurts when I think about Katherine. I was pretty drunk last night, so I didn't feel it too bad."

"Bullshit. You refused to even get up when she came and got you."

"…Oh? She came and got me?"

"You were pretty drunk."

"Yeah, I'll be honest in saying I don't remember much from real life. I guess I got home safely somehow, though."

The three men sat in the stairwell for a little while, chatting quietly amongst themselves, trying to kill some time, but they all quieted when they heard footsteps. Succubi? Vincent? Catherine?

It was the strong red-haired woman. Toby quailed, and made a dive to roll down the stairs but didn't quite make it. She caught him by one of his horns and began to drag him along. Neither Jonny nor Orlando even really got up to help, mostly because Jonny was avoiding the icy gaze of a different woman. Orlando was being pulled up by his brown-haired girl, and Jonny watched him complain and try to talk her out of it, but didn't put up much of a fight otherwise.

Jonny felt his hands be taken and he was yanked to his feet.

"Let go," he growled. "Fuck you. I don't want to do this."

With a grip like iron, she refused to let go, and dragged him down the stairs, following after the other two sets. Orlando was led down one hall, Toby dragged down another, and Jonny was unwillingly pulled down a third. Into a room he was pulled, and before long, his succubus—Emily—had his wrists caught in chains from the ceiling. It was cold and dungeon-like, and Emily glared at him from a chair in front of the door, and though it was subtle, she began to change. Standing, she moved around him, touching his skin with her long, sharp nails; her yellow, narrowed eyes boring into his skin; her white lips tight and pressed together.

"Do you remember?" she whispered, her voice twisted. "When you told her all those lies about him? Fed her stories? Do you remember? She remembers. She remembers all of your lies, your sins. She knows your perversions." She moved behind and reached forward, grabbing at his underwear and literally ripping it off of him. Jonny shivered, shutting his eyes and praying for it all to stop. The succubus grabbed his penis tightly with her cold, alien hands. "How you masturbated to her image in the yearbook, how you used her name and image to work yourself into a hot sweat."

Her voice shifted. "Oh Jonny! Oh Jonny! Give me more! Give me more! Show me Jonny!"

"Shut up!" Jonny hissed, shutting his eyes.

"I want you, Jonny!"

"I said shut up!"

The voice changed, becoming like his own, and suddenly she was in his face. Her yellow eyes were darkening, almost turning black, and her eyelashes were practically touching his. Her claws dug into his chest as she held him close. "Twisted little fuck. You tried other girls but the relationship always ended the same. You'd be on top but during your climax you always fucked things up. You never said their names. Just hers. You called Vincent pathetic for cheating but that's all you ever did. All you were ever good for. What is your legacy now? Broken hearts and a fucking used car lot with a manchild as your only employee."

"Shut up," Jonny mumbled. "It wasn't like that. It…Shut up…"

The demon scraped her nails along his belly. "She knows when you followed her home. She knows you stood outside of her window when your mind was too full. She knows what you did. And she hates you for it. She hates you for what you did."

"No! Don't say it. Don't say it. She doesn't know. She can't know."

"Oh, I know, Jonny." The voice changed, and Jonny let his head hang, shaking, biting his lip. "I don't even know what to say. What kind of a man does that kind of thing? To an innocent young girl? …I hate you."

"No…stop…"

The voice changed. "Filthy pervert. That's all you are and all you'll be." The demon began to stroke him. "Tell yourself that. Tell that to yourself until it's all you believe."

"No…"

But Jonny knew it was too late. Tonight, the succubus won again. Though he was twisted up in pain and in self-hate, he felt the demon's touches begin to work him up, felt his member respond.

"Just think of me, Jonny. Think of how you don't deserve me and how you will never fulfill my needs or dreams. You will only bring me down," said the monster, and Jonny made a weak noise. It was all he could really do now.


	9. Day 5 Day

Sorry about the delays. I've re-started school and picked up more hours at work, so writing fanfics have taken back seat. I hope this is okay, it was sort of forced. But I was feeling bad about not updating.

* * *

><p>"Jonny!"<p>

Jerking awake, Jonny let out a sharp gasp, a hand shooting to his crotch. With a tight expression he looked to who had spoken—Katherine! Mouthing, he hurried to cover himself, knowing he was currently in a very uncomfortable position. No words came but Jonny's look of horror was enough for Katherine.

With the familiar disappointed sigh, Katherine turned away. "Damn it, Jonny. Do I even need to ask? I'm flattered…But Jonny…"

"N-No, it's not like that," Jonny stuttered, but rolled away to privately try and tend to himself. "Sorry…Sorry…I'm sorry…Weird dream."

What was his dream? Damn it, it slipped away once more. Whatever it was, it hadn't felt good. At all. Yet once more he had been hot and heavy when he woke up…

But then like a truck his memory came to him. No! He hadn't forgotten! He hadn't forgotten yesterday, either! Jonny locked up, the horrible words, the horrible memories coming back. Rolling over again, feeling himself go flaccid in his hands at the verbal abuse he had endured. The Not-Katherine who had used him and abused him…night after night now…

"It's Vincent," he mumbled. "Fucking Vincent."

"Alright, that's enough," Katherine sighed, standing and shaking her head. Jonny twisted to look at her, having already forgotten she was there.

"Huh?"

"Vincent Vincent Vincent. I can't stand it," she said sharply, as though offended by his confusion. "I wanted to give you a chance. I knew you had always been sensible and committed, but lately you've been flakier than he ever was. I don't want to think about him anymore. So we're done. You and the others haven't moved on and really, neither have I, but I want to. Until…Until it's better…" She adjusted her lingerie, her expression as blank as ever, but Jonny knew better. Sitting up a bit, he meant to protest, but then he bit his lip and shut his eyes.

Katherine looked to him, before moving and gently stroking his hair.

"Jonathan…Maybe some other time. But we're done now. Good bye."

Jonny reached to touch her but she had moved away, changing back into her clothes. Thing was, Jonny didn't really remember doing anything with her. He was aware he'd been really drunk the night before, but there had been quite a bit of pain…Hell, just looking at her caused his stomach to flare up. Sex? In his dream evil-Katherine had done quite a bit with him, that he could remember, but regular Katherine?

Jonny thought long and hard, sifting through the terrors that was experiencing during the night, through the pain of having just lost what was important to him…Again.

Jonny went to work but spent most of it spaced out, leaning against the door to the garage and watching Toby work diligently on a car. It was some clunker a guy had brought in earlier and if there was one thing Toby loved, it was making a piece of shit run. Jonny didn't usually interfere unless he was needed. It was Toby's baby. But even through his haze, Jonny could see Toby wasn't going at work with his usual gusto either.

"I remember them, kid," Jonny finally admitted, but his voice was so quiet in the loud shop that Toby looked to him but couldn't seem to decide on what he had said. Jonny repeated himself and the other's eyes lit up. He dropped what he was doing, literally, and moved to him.

"Really Chief? You aren't just saying that? You remember the dreams too?" Toby's eyes were suddenly watery, and Jonny flinched.

"Are you going to cry?"

"No! No!" Toby protested, shaking his head, but looked away and rubbed at his eyes. "I mean, maybe. Look! Don't tell anyone! I just…Really? I can't take it anymore, Chief. I…It's…They're just so scary and I'm in so much pain right now…"

"Toby, keep it together," Jonny said quietly, but didn't really put a lot of effort into it. "Come on. Smoke break."

"But I don't—"

"Just come with me." Jonny rolled his eyes and left the garage, soon holing up in his office with Toby and lighting up. After taking a few puffs, Jonny felt a bit better, but he knew he was just as scrambled up as Toby.

Toby sat in a chair across from his desk and the two were quiet for a while. Jonny smoked and Toby played with a paperclip on his desk. Finally, Jonny ground out his cigarette and lit a new one.

"Katherine broke up with me. I was talking about Vincent and it upset her. She wouldn't ever be able to understand what we're going through. You're almost lucky to have your memories. It helped you figure it out a whole lot faster, but this is just like the sheep and the block dreams Orlando and I experienced. Except it's not. Vincent's fucking with us, Toby."

"But why?" Toby asked, looking up to him. "I don't get it at all! Why does Vincent want to hurt us? I thought we were friends? And when did Katherine do that?"

"This morning, but forget it. He's become a bigshot demon. But he hasn't really changed. He wants us to think that, but he's just drunk off power. So is his harem of succubi. Succubuses? Succubi." He shrugged listlessly. "He's just playing a game with us. Don't you remember this conversation?"

"…Not really," Toby mumbled, looking guilty. "I…I only remember parts from last night this time. I think she knocked my head around quite a bit…"

Jonny watched Toby as tears seemed to threaten him again. The kid was serious. He was getting hurt. He was scared. Anger swelled up in Jonny and he momentarily forgot his own misery. Toby was just a kid, a spit into his twenties, who had never really experienced any real hardship. His natural good will and friendly nature kept him safe from a lot of the ugly in the world. It had saved him from the nightmare ordeal before. For all of his 'I'm not a little kid!' talk, Toby was really just a good kid who didn't deserve any of this. Even after finding out about Erica, he didn't seem to care too badly. Perhaps a bit skeeved, but he still liked her. It was because of that relationship Vincent was torturing him.

It was because of Katherine Vincent had set his sights on Jonny. Orlando? Jonny didn't really know or care why Vincent had the cross hairs on him. He was angry he had lost Katherine but he was even angrier that Vincent was tormenting Toby for his poor taste in women.

Jonny took a drag. "Toby, kid. Load up on caffeine. Pop, energy drinks, coffee, I don't care what. You don't have to worry about it until later, though. No sleep. No sleep, no dreams. Tonight we aren't going to take his shit and I want you to stay out of it. No buts," added when Toby opened his mouth. "Take Erica to a movie. I don't care what. It's probably not good for your aches and your head, but damn it Toby, you aren't going to get beat up again."

Toby shook his head, paused from the dizzying affect, before focusing his gaze on Jonny. "No. I want to help. When you tried to get him last time he cursed you! I know the mark's still on your belly! Oh, did Katherine say anything more about that? This morning? Before she…?"

"No," Jonny said, looking away. "Shut up about it."

"But that's kind of weird, isn't it? And besides, you got here late. She has work real early doesn't she? Maybe that's why she didn't say anything?"

"Toby, shut up. I don't know." It was sort of strange…He didn't even remember her leaving, either. She started to redress but he zoned out after that. His stomach wasn't hurting, either.

That was the biggest signal.

"Fuck!" he snarled, causing Toby to half leap out of his seat. Jonny whipped out his phone and despite it still technically being morning and he had been told specifically not to call her… "Katherine?"

"Hello? Who is this?"

"It's Jonathan. What happened last night?"

"Jonny? Look, I told you not to call…I'm real busy. But I just dropped you off at your house. You were drunk, you complained about your stomach, you threw up a few times, and when you fell asleep I put out your cigarette and left. Can I hang up now? I'll meet up with you for lunch if you really need details."

Jonny thanked her quietly and hung up. He looked to Toby, who was sitting on the edge of his chair.

"Fucking demons," he rumbled, looking at Toby and smoking "It wasn't Katherine this morning. I should have known. If I had cut communications with her, she wouldn't have really thought twice. As it is I'm on thin ice just because I'm the rebound. I didn't even doubt it. But I should have known."

"It was a succubus that broke up with you?"

"Emily. Vincent's attacking us in real life now." Jonny stood up and looked to Toby. "Yeah, you look pretty messed up. Go tell my father you're dying or something. Go to the Stray Sheep as soon as it opens, pick up Erica, and make her leave Boss. Orlando and I have business. I know you want to be involved," he added, again before Toby could interject, "But unless I absolutely need to put you in harm's way, then I'm not going to."

"Jonny, I swear," Toby said angrily, standing up and raising his fists. The power of his glare made Jonny hesitate and meet his gaze. Toby flailed his fists a little, huffing angrily. "This is my problem too. Just because you only just started remembering doesn't mean anything! I can help. I want to help. You just have to let me know what to do because you're the Chief. But if you aren't going to act like my Chief then I'm going to have to try and do things myself!"

Jonny stared, before his gaze softened. "…Fine, Toby. But if you get hurt worse…I swear I'll kill you."

Toby grinned, about to step forward for a fist bump but flinched on his bad foot. "Damn. Well, I'll do what I can, okay? Let's do this."

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><p>"Orlando here yet?" Jonny asked as he and Toby entered the Stray Sheep. Erica was only just tying on her apron for the night and she looked up in vague surprise.<p>

"Um. No. We only opened for lunch a few minutes ago. Shouldn't you two be at work?"

"Is Boss here?"

"Yeah, he's in the back."

"Send him out."

Erica looked to Toby, who seemed just as determined and steadfast as Jonny, before she just shrugged and went into the kitchen. "Boss! Jonny and Toby want you!"

"Orlando did get your call, right?" Toby asked, looking to Jonny, but Jonny could only shrug a little. He'd called Orlando from work but there was no promise he got it. Orlando was weird about his phone. He didn't really seem fond of talking over it, so there was a good chance he screened the call.

They were going to get Boss' help, and they were going to stop Vincent. How, Jonny wasn't sure yet, but he was going to figure it out somehow. Even if it did involve climbing blocks to do it.

Boss came out pretty unwillingly, frowning and looking at Toby and Jonny. "Hello. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Cut the crap," Toby declared, throwing out a fist and gesturing wildly. "You're gonna tell us how to make Vincent stop beating us up with his demon girls!"

"What the kid said," Jonny said. "I think I said something about if that kid ever got hurt…"

"U-Uh—well—"

The door opened and Orlando entered. Adjusting his hat with his good hand, he sided Jonny and Toby and finally looked up, revealing a rather twisted grin. "Got the call, Jonny. Had to escape Samantha but I got here. But now I've got to kick somebody's ass, and Boss is looking like the best target."

Boss threw his hands up in innocence. "I swear I'm not involved. I'm just connecting you to that world."

"That certainly sounds like you're not involved," Orlando mused, crinking his neck. "What to incriminate yourself some more first or are you just going to tell us how you're going to help us?"

Boss started to sweat and Toby brandished his fists, though he really wasn't all that entertaining. Finally he sighed and gave up, letting his head hang. "He asked me to do him a favor when he found out you all were thinking about him. And when he found out you were dating his ex-girlfriend," he added, looking to Jonny. "I only helped because if I didn't, he wouldn't let his demons work for me."

"So if we thrash you, we won't end up in the nightmare hellscape we've been shipped to every night?"

Boss frowned, his brow furrowing. "You might want to watch your mouth. I am a God."

"Yeah and I'm a used car salesman," Jonny countered. "What's your point? Being a God isn't going to matter if we curb stomp you."

"Look, if you want it to end, you just need to remind Vincent he's not a true demon. He's a human on the inside and that's what counts. Harassing me will do nothing for you. Bring him down a notch and he might be humbled enough to remember what he is. It's his hubris out to get you, not him."

"Why can't you just stop sending us there?" Toby asked.

"Or how about keeping the demons from bothering us during the day?" Orlando asked. "That'd be nice. I'd be able to feel my dick if Samantha hadn't dug her nails into it."

"I can't control the succubi. They are directly under Vincent's control. And if I want to use the succubi for my own purposes, I can't sever ties with the King of Demons. Now, are we done?" Boss frowned at them and Jonny sighed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, fine. If you can't do anything else. Useless God if you ask me…"

"Yeah, pathetic," Toby contributed.

"A real loser," Orlando concluded.

Boss huffed off and retreated to the kitchen. The three men looked to each other, all stirred up with nowhere to go, before they moved to their preferred booth and settled in to get their drink on. The faster they got drunk, the quicker they would fall asleep…and the quicker they could try to end this.


	10. Day 6 Night

OOC:

School and work continues to throw a wrench into my brain...But I managed to get something out. Not my best quality, I'm not super happy with it. But the one after has better flow. I don't need reviews telling me minor grammatical junk-I'll never go back and fix it. I can barely keep going forward. Thank you for your continued support and I hope i don't let you down too much.

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><p>The Smoking Sheep and the Sheep with the Hat were already awake when Toby came around. They were battered and beaten, but they had a determined stance that even made Toby feel a bit better. He stood with some help, and was soon looking at the door, knowing what was on the other side and what they had to do.<p>

"So, the plan," he said slowly. "Make him figure out he's just our dumb ol' Vincent?"

"I'm going to have to show you guys a side I really don't like," Jonny said, and both Toby and Orlando looked to him.

"I've known you forever," Orlando snorted, elbowing him. "I doubt there's much that'll bother me. Besides, what could be up your sleeve? Hiding a chainsaw under that wool?"

Toby grinned. "You're a murderer, Jonny? Damn! Wish you had told me sooner, would've made high school sooooo much easier for me!"

"When was that, last year?"

"Aw, cram it, Orlando!"

"Guys," Jonny said, watching the further half of the platform crumble and fall away. "Don't lose focus. Ready?"

Toby was antsy. He was nervous. He was scared. But mostly, he was excited. Adrenaline (as well as a very fair amount of alcohol) was coursing through his veins. It was go-time. There was shit to do and he was amped up for it. Maybe he wasn't at his best; his succubus was fairly physically abusive, and though she may have had him freaked out over his own sexuality, he knew that it'd be his physical limitations that would slow him down…and that was the last thing that he wanted to happen. Jonny needed his help, even if he didn't think so. At least, Toby thought so. Jonny was a pretty messed up guy sometimes and if it was all Toby could do to just be there for him, then that was good enough.

The continued crumbling of the platform was motivation enough to open the door from the abyss-like world and into Vincent's throne room. Orlando, adjusting his hat and trying to work his bad hand into a fist, kept up with Jonny step for step, but Toby had to strain to keep his pace close enough. Pain ripped through with every step, but the rush of excitement kept it from being at its worst. At the base of the stairs, there was a pause. At the top, Vincent was in the middle of his usual business, a woman on both sides, but his precious golden-haired succubus was nowhere to be seen.

Jonny whistled, but when Vincent seemed a bit too distracted, he looked to Toby, who automatically brought his fingers to his mouth and let loose a piercing whistle that put Jonny's to shame. Vincent flinched, jerking into a sitting position and wiping his mouth, staring in a blank way. His brain wasn't quite caught up.

"Better send your girlies away, Vincent; you're going to be busy," Orlando said, smirking. Vincent stared, still not quite caught up.

"Uhh…"

Jonny rubbed at his belly a bit, and Toby watched him. Whatever he was thinking, it had to be about Katherine. But what was he going to do? Show them a bad side? Toby didn't want Jonny to do something stupid…Vincent was Vincent, but he was also some King of the Demons and he was a tough contender regardless of context. What if Jonny got himself killed?

Then, Jonny threw aside his cigarette and started his way up the stairs. "You never knew shit about Katherine. You pathetic ass. You were stupid and oblivious and she liked you because you were attractive and a bit of a ditz. You were the best beard in the world. You were so self-absorbed you never noticed anything! She tells me all the time how goddamn glad she is that you're gone and that I'm there in your stead!"

Vincent's eyes had sharpened and he stood, and though he didn't try to look riled, Katherine was a touchy subject. Toby shivered at the crimson glare Jonny received in return for his worlds. The thing was, Jonny was exaggerating and lying. And they all had to know it, right?

"I was more than just a rebound, like you," Vincent replied. "Do you want to end up like him?" he added, gesturing to a peculiar candle burning nearby. It was what provided quite a bit of ambiance, but sheep skull candles weren't something Toby was really good at noticing. Jonny snorted.

"Easy to collect the skulls of the dead, Vincent."

"Keep up that attitude and I'll have yours next."

"I don't think we're going to win in a one-on-one brawl, Jonny," Orlando cut in, siding him and nervously patting his shoulder. "This is almost an all-or-nothing deal. Don't trust us to get in our fair share?"

Jonny shrugged him away and continued up the stairs, a hand on his stomach. "Rebound? Don't be an idiot. Who do you think was keeping her satisfied? Keeping her content? You? Don't make me laugh! You're a weasley little fuck who didn't even realize that all along, the tables really were turned! You thought you were the only one doing the cheating…"

Vincent grabbed the burning skull and threw it before Jonny's feet, a lip curled, his voice darkening.

"Trying to play my doubts? He died. I have nothing to worry about. Steve is dead and I don't even care which of the Catherines he was fucking."

"I remember when you almost figured it out, before. You were just too dumb to put it completely together…or something, I don't know. You're too much of a low life to figure out. No wonder we stopped hanging out with you."

Orlando smirked. "A real scumbag."

"Total filth," Toby contributed, but wasn't quite sure what was going on. Why was Jonny trying to rile Vincent? In such a babyish way? Orlando seemed to know but Toby was in the dark.

Vincent touched at his horns, glaring at the trio, before he sharply turned to the ladies he had been entertaining. In duplicate 'poofs', they vanished before he could transfer his wrath. Left with no other victims, Vincent regarded the boys and then began to move forward. Jonny wisely tried to back up and keep his distance, but was grinning.

"Want to hear something else, Vincent? You and your demons reminded me of a me I'd nearly forgotten. The one that thought terrible things about your girlfriend, Vincent. The one that spied on her in high school. That stood outside her window…"

"I swear I'll rip out your throat," Vincent snarled. "I'm done with that Katherine, I don't care what you do or did!"

"Pretty riled up for not caring," Orlando piped, but his eyes were on Jonny.

"You're really bad at lying still, Vincent," Jonny hummed, and Vincent finally lunged. Jonny stumbled back barely in time, but in time nonetheless, and Vincent crashed forward. Toby and Orlando quickly moved out of the way as the demon king ungracefully stumbled down some stairs, and they all watched the incubus cautiously.

Vincent, ego wounded from the brief fall, stood right up and looked the other way, flustered and trying to get back his thunder. Toby felt that it was his time to shine. This was his chance to solve this conflict—end this thing, so the Chief could stop upsetting himself with his nasty words. Nasty lies, Toby corrected, as surely the Chief really wouldn't creep around outside of a girl's window. That was just ridiculous.

Toby pounced, seeing himself a hero. Just take Vincent down, embarrass him a bit, and then he'd snap right back normal. It was as easy as Boss said. Just, ah, humble him. Bring him down a bit. Tweak his nose, call him some names…Going to be a piece of cake. Adding a sudden amount of inertia to Vincent's figure, Toby and he tumbled forward down some more stairs. They rolled, alternatively hitting the hard steps until Vincent slammed Toby down against the jutting stone and cracked his back with the force. Toby winced; it was not the nice, almost therapeutic crack from twisting in a chair or laying out flat. It was a rough, sharp snap that froze him right up for fear of moving.

Vincent snatched his horns, wild with embarrassed anger from being taken down so easily. Snorting, red eyes narrowed and furious, teeth grit and revealed in a terrible snarl. Looking much like the monster he had become, Vincent fixed his grip before ripping away Toby's horns.

Whatever symbolism they held, whatever they appeared for, they were important and Toby completely zoned out when they were ripped away. He was aware of voices, and lots of red, but little else. Movement…red…red…black.

Black.

Black…

But then color came back. More red. Toby blinked a little, mostly numb, his head feeling heavy and kind of stiff. Orlando was the only one standing, as far as Toby's dizzy and out of focus sight could pick up. He was caught in the grip of something, perhaps a succubus…so…where was Jonny? Toby blinked slowly and looked around, his senses of hearing and seeing fuzzy and inaccurate. Jonny…? Where was the Chief?

There he was. Right nearby. Of course. Where else would he be? Jonny was never too far off. He was like his big brother…Always keeping an eye out for him…

Jonny shifted a bit closer, and Toby would swear he touched at him, but he didn't feel it. Jonny's fingers came away red and though Toby couldn't focus and see detail, he would swear Jonny was speaking because his mouth was moving.

Suddenly, the icepick of reality slammed into his skull. Waves of pain, sound, feelings hit him like a truck. With a wild gasp, Toby pushed himself up, touching and his blood-mattered skull and looking around. Jonny was holding his own shoulder, where he was bleeding rather severely himself, but at seeing Toby look around wildly seemed to relieve him.

Before Toby could let out a few yells of pain, a fist grabbed him and yanked him up. Toby's battered body protested but Toby bit his lip to keep quiet, especially when he figured out it was Vincent—whose horn was bloody—who got him up.

"I've mutilated you, gored Jonny, but now things are even. So I better do something bad to Orlando as well. You pick—what should I do to him? After all, this was your bright idea, Toby. You're too stupid and too young and I'd have killed you if you weren't—hadn't been my friend. So, if you want to live and you want him to live, you better give me a punishment for him." Vincent seemed a bit spacy, and though he was trying to sound rough and nasty, there was little strength to his tone.

Toby didn't speak, just sort of tiredly stared at Vincent until he finally just kind of shook his head.

"We just want you help you, Vincent."

Vincent tossed him aside. Toby didn't land hard; he landed on Jonny. Jonny gasped and grunted, but just pushed Toby off and gave him a quick glance over. "It was pretty stupid, kid. I told you to keep yourself out of trouble…"

"How long was I—"

"Not long. Long enough for me to charge him and get stabbed by his horn…When Orlando moved to help, his demons popped right up."

Vincent was watching them, before he looked down the stairs a bit to a certain set of horns Toby was afraid to look at. Until, finally, Vincent looked to Jonny. "Katherine…She doesn't really hate me so much, does she?"

"I don't know. You hurt her a lot."

Vincent rubbed at his neck, his eyes slowly panning over his former friends, before he straightened up and narrowed his gaze. "We're done for tonight. This is no longer a game of love. It's survival. I'm changing the rules. You're not my friends anymore. I'm a demon…and I'm far stronger than you could ever hope to be. Especially since I've been weakening you all week. You're hopeless. Winner never comes back and gets their girl. Losers die…or remain trapped here."

"Vincent, come on!" Orlando snarled. "Just get over it! You didn't like these games, and neither do we—"

Vincent looked to him, then met Toby's gaze.

"Wake up."


	11. Day 6 Day

OOC:

I'm back in the flow...I think I have enough inspiration to finish this. Again, not feeling real great about it, but I'm going to strike while the iron's hot...again. I'm really trying to build back up my Persona inspiration too, because I've decided Mender of Souls needs some help.

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><p>Toby's eyes snapped open. His messy bedroom came into view. His assorted hats, his work uniform on the floor. It was a small place, the mess mostly from garbage or scattered clothes. His clock glowed '4:30' and there wasn't any light filtering inside from his single window. Toby didn't dare move, though. He hurt all over. His head had a piercing pain—he reached gingerly and touched at where his horns had been, but then blinked and tried not to think about the horns. The horns weren't really real. But Vincent had done something to cause him excruciating pain.<p>

Vision going fuzzy, then fading, then coming back slowly, Toby realized that just because he wasn't soaked in blood didn't mean he wasn't in just as bad condition.

But that meant Jonny was in trouble too.

Toby tried to sit up but his back sent an angry spasm in reply. There was no way they could win now. Well…there was no way he could help now. For some reason, he didn't want to believe it'd been an effort to kill him. Maybe Vincent…just wanted him out of the running? Toby hoped. God…He couldn't believe that their friend…Well, he could almost believe it, but…Vincent's wild anger reappeared in his brain and he shut his eyes, groaning.

But he had to get up. Jonny needed someone to get to him.

With some difficulty he managed to sit up.

"I'm not just some damn kid…Damn it, I won't be shoved aside," he mumbled, voice trembling, hands gripping the sheets to keep him up. Groaning, he pushed himself forward to his knees, but his brain completely scattered and he stared blankly. What was he doing? Damn it….He was just too messed up for this.

His phone, then. His phone. Had to get to his phone…

In his struggle, at some point he laid back down on his stomach, staring blankly across his apartment, breathing heavily and trembling. At some point, there was a series of knocks on his door.

"Toby! Toby! Open the door, damn it—"

Toby flinched at the sound. "….It's locked!" he grunted. "It's locked…"

"Well then open it!"

"I'm coming!"

Toby renewed his efforts and sort of slid down the side of his bed, but temporarily curled his spine in the effort and the pain was horrible. Toby made a strangle noise and he straightened out on the floor, ignoring how bad his work clothes smelled. Mostly, like beer. The smell burned.

"Toby! Open the damn door! Just say so if you can't—Took Jonny a goddamn hour…"

"It took me ten minutes; I've told you a thousand times not to exaggerate."

Toby struggled for a little longer before he just pulled a hat over his face, regardless of its beer-soaked condition, and admitted, "I can't do it, man. I can't get up. I'm all kinds of hurt…"

"Then I guess we'll pay for a new door."

There was a loud bang that scrambled Toby's senses and he moaned. It happened a few more times, when the door to his apartment gave and Jonny and Orlando stumbled in. Jonny rubbed at his shoulder, and Orlando struggled to regain his balance for a moment before they both looked at Toby. Toby peeked under the hat and blushed, embarrassed at his position.

"Our, um…efforts didn't work…" Toby mumbled, but Jonny and Orlando mostly focused on just getting him back up and onto the bed again. He whined and moaned about it, but lying back on the bed was such a good relief that he didn't even care.

"Well, I pissed him off," Jonny said quietly, sitting on the foot of the bed. "Mind if I smoke?"

"No, go on. Use something as an ashtray…"

Jonny lit up and looked briefly at Toby and then up to Orlando, who was kicking the dirty clothes into a pile by the closet. "Yeah, I got him mad, but I was hoping to get him jealous. Because we don't have the strength to get him ourselves."

"What do you mean?"

"You're not going to be much help, Toby. I'm still pretty angry you went and got yourself all beat up. So if you weren't already crippled, I would've done it for you. But I've got a plan."

"That worked so well last time," Orlando mumbled, rubbing at his ringed eyes with his good hand. "Maybe we should just shut up and take it. I mean, kinky sex is still sex. I think you just want to show off that you're with Katherine and he's not. Dude's got his own girl—he's also got his own harem. I kind of think it'd be hard to get him to suddenly realize that he screwed up."

"Well, Katherine has to become involved if we want to win," Jonny said, shrugging. "I'm going into the Stray Sheep later to talk Boss into bringing her in with us. Because he will choke at seeing her. He will. There's no doubt."

"Yeah, that'll work. Traumatize your girlfriend."

"It'll just be a bad dream to her. Who knows, maybe they'll get some closure. I don't want to bring her in any more than you do."

"Yeah, bull. You're practically smiling at the idea. But wouldn't the other Catherine flip out if your Katherine and Vincent…?"

Jonny watched Orlando for a moment, and his eyes widened. Toby looked between them.

"What? What? Tell me! Fill me in!"

"Pipe down, the big kids are talking," Orlando replied, smiling.

"Orlando! Here I am, all beat up and probably concussed and you're still making fun of me! Jeez—I mean, don't I get any credit for tackling Vincent?"

"Yeah, fine, maybe you get some courage points. But minus whatever those are for being useless to us now. But now I get what Jonny's after…You want to bring in Vincent's Catherine. You want her to see your Katherine and demon-butt together. For whatever reason. It'll be another demon that brings him down a peg, not us."

"I tried yesterday. I wanted him to get jealous. She'd probably pop in at some inconvenient time and whip him into submission. But our daredevil here wanted to help." Jonny offered a tired smile and patted Toby's feet. "It's okay. I thought you were brave. Get some rest, though. Hopefully if you sleep all day you won't pop in with us tonight."

"What?"

"Toby, you couldn't even get up to open the door. What will you do tonight? Bite at his ankles?"

"Well, I could."

They shared some nervous, stressed laughter, before Jonny reached for the phone, and the three of them collectively called in. Jonny's father sounded pissed, and Orlando's boss wasn't so cool with the idea either, but at the moment, stabilizing their lives was a bit more important than having to make up for their absences later.

Toby took some painkillers, which had at least a placebo effect if not a genuine one. He felt drowsy, and just as his eyelids grew heavy, Jonny patted his feet and the two others left.

Before they were gone, Toby mumbled, "I'm sorry…I just wanted to prove I'm not a kid…"

Jonny came back and gingerly patted his feet again. "It's okay. Don't sweat it. Just do me a favor and keep out of the way now, got it?"

Toby smiled sleepily and then shut his eyes, hearing Orlando and Jonny fuss with the broken door a bit before leaving. He'd sleep now and stay awake through the night; surely then he wouldn't be involved. He'd messed up and now he was out of the game…but he trusted Jonny and Orlando. They knew what they were doing. By now. Hopefully. Maybe? Oh man…


	12. Day 7 Night

Confrontation time...Thank you for your reviews and support :3 It means a lot and I'm glad I'm giving you something half decent to read ;3

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><p>Orlando was fascinated. Until now, all he and Jonny had ever seen were male sheep. But after quite a bit of literal arm twisting, they got Boss to do them a solid. And he actually pulled through. Because there, still not quite awake, was a female sheep. She was proportioned like a woman and not an animal—there were some lady lumps in the front to show for it. But she was all covered in wool so it really wasn't anything impressive. Probably for the best, Orlando didn't want to be tempted to leer at Jonny's girlfriend.<p>

Jonny was smoking, looking nervous and worked up. They both watched the female, long-haired sheep lay there and slowly come into consciousness.

"She's going to flip," Jonny mumbled. "She likes the laws of physics and reality a bit too much."

"Well, good thing we're just going to throw her straight into the fire. Let's just hope Vincent doesn't flip out himself. He might kill her. Or us. Or just you," Orlando advised, rubbing at his neck. "Dude, I mean, that guy fucked up Toby and probably didn't kill him just 'cause he _is_ Toby. Glad we didn't let the kid see a mirror."

"It's good that he did as we asked. Now's not the time to be dead. Doesn't mean he might not join us later; he's got an attitude," Jonny mumbled.

"Hey, dude, doesn't thinking or seeing about her screw up your stoma—"

Jonny shot Orlando a vicious glare and then looked back to Katherine. "Shut up. Yes. If I don't think about it, it doesn't bother me as bad."

They both quieted as the female sheep made a noise and sat up. She stared, adjusting her glasses, looking between Jonny and Orlando.

Eventually Jonny offered her a hand. "Katherine…"

"What? How do you know my name?" she whispered. "Stay back."

"This is a dream," Jonny supplied. "I'm Dream Jonny and that's Dream Orlando. For whatever reason we're sheep. You should probably stand because this platform will start to crumble if we don't go through that door there."

"A dream?" Katherine echoed. But obediently, she stood. She stared around her, bewildered, while the boys watched her almost with unrest. But, Katherine was quiet, she was controlled. Orlando was amazed she seemed only mildly disturbed and uneasy. But then again, Katherine was a strange girl sometimes. Sometimes she was a bit quick to anger, too professional, too cold, but then other times she was more normal and loose. She hadn't been the latter in a while, not since her and Vincent's breakup. Certainly not something Orlando really found that attractive. Sure, she was smokin' hot, but in a hot librarian way that was too refined and subtle compared to his typical tastes.

Jonny ushered her closer and while she was pretty untrusting, she did move forward and Orlando opened the door. The platform crumbled a bit and it was good motivation; they all moved through and soon the door shut and vanished behind them. Once more they were in Vincent's throne room. Once more they intended on ending this whole nightmare. The difference this time was they now held an ace card in their hand, finally having an advantage against the enemy.

Not that Orlando really liked considering Vincent an enemy. He was an idiot. He had gotten a big head. Initially, Orlando did believe Vincent had innocent intentions…but at the taste of power over others he got stupider than usual. Though he had no idea what was going on in Jonny's head, he hoped the feeling really wasn't too different.

"I've never had this dream before," Katherine said quietly. "I don't really dream much in the first place."

"That explains some things," Orlando muttered and Jonny flicked his cigarette his direction spitefully. But then their focus returned and they stared up at the top of the staircase, ready to challenge Vincent once more. He was there, but he was alone for once. No girls, not even his squeeze Catherine-with-a-C. Just Vincent, buck naked as usual, sitting on the edge of the bed and resting his chin in his hand, staring off thoughtfully. As the trio advanced, the demon's eyes shifted to them slowly.

Just as the demon's smirk was about to spread, what he saw stopped it dead in its tracks. Horror shot through his expression, but was quickly masked. The demon stood, tilting his jaw so his grand horns seemed to project from his figure, trying to look stronger than he was.

"How did you get here, Katherine?"

Orlando reached and grabbed Jonny, holding him back. As much as they wanted to cause Vincent some grief…this would probably work itself out. So he hoped, anyway. Orlando really didn't want an ugly scene.

Katherine advanced, watching Vincent evenly until she was almost literally right in front of him. After sizing him up for a moment, she looked south of the border briefly before back to Jonny.

"What kind of dream is this?"

"That's Vincent, Katherine. When you dumped him, he took after a demon and eventually became a demon king."

"I know it's Vincent," she said dully, looking back to Vincent himself, who was standing still and quietly. "I meant whether or not this is one of those dreams where I'll wake up in a sweat and wondering what I ate the night before."

Orlando cracked a grin a bit and Jonny dug his heel into his foot, replying to Katherine's back, "It won't be one of your most coherent dreams, but you probably won't remember it come morning. So, no real consequences for any of your actions or anything."

"Dude," Orlando snapped, looking at him panicked. "Um, major consequences. Major. Did you forget about Toby in the last five minutes? So beaten he couldn't even answer his own door?"

"Shh…You know that Katherine's a bit sharp at her best of times…Without any guilt for what she might do, she might whip Vincent back into submission. Or at least get into a catfight with the demon Catherine. Not that I want Katherine hurt at all, but the point is to remind Vincent he's just as human as the rest of us. If things get ugly, we're here to help."

"Some help we'll be, Jonny. We're not in great shape either."

"Katherine, how did you get here? Only men can enter through the door you did," Vincent said.

Katherine outright ignored him, crossing her arms and taking a step back. "You look ridiculous, Vincent. A demon king?"

"_The_ Demon King," Vincent corrected quickly. "As in, the only. I dethroned the last guy. I have strength now that you'd never imagine. I can control legions of demons. I cannot grow weary from sex. Hell, I hardly need sleep anyway now."

Katherine was looking at her nails, wanting something other than him to look at while she was thinking. Eventually she adjusted her glasses and met his gaze, before smacking him hard enough that he staggered back a bit. Feeling his cheek and looking her, he seemed to go fuzzy-eyed instead of angry. She was gritting her teeth, eyes narrowed, before the anger seemed to morph into something less spontaneous and more…hurt.

"You idiot, Vincent Brooks. I have been waiting for you to come back, waiting for you to show up, just so I could tell you what I was thinking. I thought I'd convinced myself I was glad you were out of my life, and that I could move on without hesitation, and yet I can't even look at my new boyfriend without thinking about you."

Vincent recovered a bit and snorted, grabbing her wrist and yanking it up, his sharp teeth bared like that of a dog's. "Come back? Oh, that's never going to happen. It was always about how you felt, Katherine. Never about me. You wanted to get married, have kids, settle down—but that isn't how I felt at all! You didn't even care!"

"You selfish moron!" Katherine snapped right back, yanking her wrist away and kneeing him in the gut. Vincent grunted, wincing a bit, and it was just enough of a flinch for Katherine to shove him back. He stumbled back and fell against the end of the bed, and Katherine stood over him. "You? Everything was about you, Vincent. I waited, and waited, and waited…How many times did we have to go to that coffee shop, on dates, to your apartment before you were going to commit? How many years did you need?"

Vincent couldn't bring himself to hurt her. He watched her, looking torn, before he looked away altogether.

"That didn't even hurt, I just fell because you—"

"Oh cut the crap, Vincent. Why won't you ever talk to me meaningfully? Do you think I'm so shallow, so superficial I won't listen to what you have to say?" she interrupted, gesticulating in a strangely collected way. She was upset, Orlando could see that, but in that weird Katherine way where she was aggressive and loud…but didn't look much more than mildly upset. He looked to Jonny to gauge his reaction but the other just seemed to be in his own world, not really all that upset by anything. Maybe he was just zoning out the conversation for his own sake? Orlando didn't bother trying to wake him up. Besides, this was a great, if not extraordinarily tense show.

"I know my opinions aren't the only ones that mattered, Vincent….if you had just talked to me, instead of lying over and over and over…"

"Well, you didn't leave me with much choice, Katherine. 'Commit now or I'm leaving you'. Yeah, that's understanding."

"Don't you put words in my mouth. Damn it, Vincent," Katherine crossed her arms once more and shook her head. "So stupid. For a little while, I thought you were the one. I'm just glad I never told you what I wanted to be when I was a little girl."

"Yeah, what was that? A dominating bitch?"

"A bride. I am now especially glad I didn't tell you. In fact, I'm glad I never really told you any of my dreams. You probably wouldn't have listened to me anyway."

"…I would have," Vincent mumbled, rubbing at his cheek again. "You didn't give me much credit. Sometimes I zoned out, but I did try to listen. You were always so smart and calm and shit that I got confidence just listening to you. 'Gee', I'd think, 'It must be great knowing exactly what you want from life'. Not all of us are so together."

"You think?" Orlando muttered.

"Duh," Jonny contributed, but was still not seeming very focused.

"Vincent, I'm not as perfect as you think I am. It's because you put me on this pedestal, this insane spectrum of yours, that you put a wedge between us. It was like you had this little gauge between me and this unrealistic dream of a world without commitment."

Vincent grinned wryly, as though he knew something she didn't, but she wasn't even really looking at him anymore.

It was then that in a 'poof', a certain girl was sprawled out on Vincent's bed, legs crossed and an eye shut in a wink. "Oh Vinny—" she started in a sing-song tone, only to see Katherine. In a flash she was at the end of the bed, a hand running through Vincent's hair, but her nails were digging into his scalp. "Oh, it's you. How did you get here? Hitch a ride with the losers?"

"That's not very nice," Orlando hummed and received an elbow in his rib for his interruption. He was largely ignored anyway.

With a scowl, Katherine turned to the blonde demon, drumming her nails on her arms. "You must be Vincent's plaything," she said dully. "The only he was cheating on me with."

"Really, he had thrown you out by the time I stepped in," Catherine hummed, smiling in the way a shark leers at its bleeding meal. "Old news. Last week's garbage. Trash." Vincent was gritting his teeth, wincing as she scraped her nails into his skull.

"Catherine—" he hissed, and she roughly grabbed one of his horns, jerking his head in an awkward direction.

"I believe his hand may have been a bit forced," Katherine replied coolly, looking to Vincent's grimace. "Dreams work with metaphors, don't they? I don't need a dream analysis book to realize what this is trying to say. If you're what he had to put up with…maybe I shouldn't put him fully at fault."

"What are you suggesting, princess?"

"That maybe he called the wrong girl a dominating bitch."

Vincent suddenly jerked away, scrambling to his feet. "Oh goddammit, not again. Don't do this to me again! Don't do it!"

"Don't do what?" Katherine asked, looking to him in surprise. "Make you choose between us?"

"No—I mean yes—but no—I don't want to do this again!" Vincent blurted, shaking his head. "Watching her die the first time…Watching you do it…"

"Who died?" Catherine said, her tone akin to a snake's rattle. Treading very dangerous ground with a demon queen was not a smart move. "Which one of us died, Vincent? You didn't specify."

Jonny took a wary step closer, looking to Orlando wildly. "Shit," he whispered. "This is going to go bad. This is both exactly what I wanted and not what I wanted. If Katherine's killed by that succubus bitch…"

"Um—umm—die? Who said die? Um, not me," Vincent protested, shaking his head and holding up his hands in innocence. "Look, Katherine, just go. I'll open the door back up. You go with Orlando and Jonny and just go—"

Catherine moved fast, grabbing Katherine and yanking her arms back, her red eyes blazing toward Vincent.

"Oh no. This ends now. I knew it, you weren't over her. You promised to love _me_, Vincent, and no one else! I told you, if you ever cheated on me…."

"Let go of me, slutty demon," Katherine hissed, struggling. "Cheat on you? You knew he was still with me at the same time, didn't you?"

"Stop," Vincent pleaded. "Stop! Seriously, I don't want to do this again! Catherine, let her go. Let her go! I command you!" he added, trying to put some strength into his tone, and he seemed to relax when, reluctantly, Catherine obeyed. What he didn't expect was Catherine then lunging—but not for Katherine. She slashed at Vincent a few times, cursing at him until she was content. Then she turned back to the trio of observers, and smiled in a wild, crooked manner.

"Whether he likes it or not, he's my hubby now, and that is how it will stay for eternity. He choose freedom and strength and that is what he has. He cannot change his mind now." She looked to Vincent, who was sitting, teeth grit, trying to breathe through the pain her vicious nails had caused. He looked up through his messed up hair to Catherine, then to his friends and then to Katherine.

"I'm sorry I hurt you," he said quietly. "I'm sorry. I…" He looked at a hand and then shook his head. "I have no right in making other's choose. I…played that game once already. I don't get to retry. Love is over…"

"Oh Vinny," Catherine sighed. "Don't say that. You still love me, don't you?"

"Yes, baby," he replied, watching the floor. "Of course." He stood slowly, needing some help from Catherine.

Yes, he had freedom, he had power, he had women and he had Catherine-with-a-C. But he had lost quite a lot in exchange. Orlando realized then that no matter what woman he had chosen, there would be drawbacks and advantages. Demon-Catherine was a crazy, possessive psycho who gave him a long leash so long as he still wore her collar. Human-Katherine was almost frigid and a bit too much of a prude at times but at the cost of his freedom he would have been in a normal, probably pleasant life.

The plan had worked, but Orlando didn't feel real good at all. It was unfulfilling. It was…It was just sad, actually.

"Vincent," he voiced. "Dude…even though you had me branded and your bitch broke my hand, you're still my friend."

"I want to date Katherine," Jonny said loudly. "And do it without feeling guilty, Vincent."

"I passed her up," Vincent replied, rubbing at the back of his neck gingerly. "I get no claim anymore. Katherine," he looked to the woman sadly, "Please move on. I hurt you and I know I messed up bad. But Jonny's a good guy and deserves to be more than just a rebound. Ugh…" He winced as Catherine angrily grabbed at his hip with her sharp nails. He grabbed at her hand and tried to hold it, but she was almost too angry to let him try and subdue her.

"Stop talking to them. Send them home. I don't want them back."

"Keep in mind who's the king," Vincent replied sharply, but got a nice slash on his side for it and when his junk received a threatening glare, he helplessly hung his head. "Okay. Okay. I'm done with the game anyway…" He looked to Orlando and Jonny sadly, then made a bit of a gesture, conjuring a rope to appear at the base of the stairs. "You should know what to do. There's a door at the top, guys. Lead her. She's kind of a crappy climber," he added, looking to Katherine briefly. "I…I got stupid, guys. Let this demon thing go to my head. I…I was angry that I didn't…You'll wake up without your injuri-"

He didn't get to finish but Orlando understood. He may have thought he was choosing freedom, but the only true freedom was to have chosen neither girl. He was more limited than he had expected to be. And this whole, stupid game was about his jealously in that they hadn't made their choices yet.

But Orlando sort of had an idea now what he wanted to do. He didn't want to end up being an idiot like Vincent and hurting the people who mattered most. Jonny held out a hand and took Katherine's, and they pulled the rope. Blocks fell and quietly, they climbed. Up and out of that damn throne room, away from Vincent and Catherine, hopefully for forever. They climbed until they hit the door, and after a brief hesitation in which Orlando and Jonny exchanged glances, they opened the door and stepped into the light.


	13. Day 7 Day

OOC: Oh yeah. You need your thrilling conclusion. No, I didn't forget...-nervous glance-

* * *

><p>Toby stretched out his arms, grinning at first Orlando, then Jonny. Both were busy on the phone, Orlando pointedly ignoring Toby while he spoke with his ex. Nearly dying and then seeing that were 'rough all over' had put some stuff into perspective...Not to mention that if even his succubus looked like his ex, there had to be some better closure between the two of them. He was talking lowly, not wanting to broadcast his thoughts to Toby and Jonny, but he was too lazy to get up. Sure, he was physically healed, but damn if he wasn't exhausted. So, in a booth at the Stray Sheep, he was going to absently continue to speak with his ex while Jonny spoke with Katherine on his phone and Toby pretended to not be eavesdropping.<p>

After arranging to meet her sometime next week to discuss some stuff, he hung up and slouched back, adjusting his hat and looking at the other two. It was good to see the kid in better shape; all grins and glow and no bruising. Things seemed better for Jonny too. Even his conversation with Katherine seemed healthier—he didn't sound so desperate and her tone didn't sound so uninterested.

"So what happened?" Toby blurted, boredly staring at Orlando, who just smiled.

"How many times do you need to rehear that we basically just stood and stared while Katherine whipped Vincent into shape? And then when Catherine did the same thing, just more physically?"

"Which Catherine is which?"

"Pay attention the first time we tell stories, then."

Jonny hung up and rejoined the conversation, finishing his drink thoughtfully and then hailing Erica down for another one.

"You know," Toby started, "You don't need to get as sloshed now that the dreams are over."

"I'm celebrating. I don't need to work on the cars tomorrow, unlike you. I just get to stand and watch you do work," Jonny mused. "And also I have permission."

"Ooh, watch out. Somebody just let Jonny's leash go!" Orlando said, grinning. "Better watch out, or your succubus is going to come and strangle you with it."

The boys chattered amongst themselves and Erica for most of the night, mostly just glad that their adventure was over and they didn't need to worry about being throttled in their dreams. The hour grew later and later but conversation remained light and fun, until Erica started cleaning up for the night.

"You boys should head home. I want to get home eventually myself," Erica said, wiping at the table across from theirs' with a cloth. Toby grinned and playfully tossed a peanut onto the floor, just to get her goat.

"Yeah, boys, it's getting late."

The group stopped cold and looked around, expecting that voice to have come from anywhere. But, no. It came from the door. And it wasn't what they were expecting, either. There were no horns, no clawed hands, no red eyes, and oddly enough, regular clothes. Vincent joined them, sitting down in his old spot and lighting a cigarette.

"What happened to, you know, being a demon god and…well, everything that's happened in the last week?" Toby said slowly, looking between Jonny and Orlando for assistance.

Orlando poked Vincent once or twice to make sure he was really there and that they weren't crazy. Vincent shrugged that shoulder and gave them a bit of a smile.

"She said I couldn't invite you guys over, so I invited myself over here. Seeing you guys made me miss you so bad…And then I guess I got a bit stir crazy on your asses. Being the demon king is great, for the pleasure of it, but not a whole lot of friends in Hell."

"A…bit stir crazy," Jonny echoed, then shrugged and took a drag, resuming whatever conversation they had just been in before Erica interrupted them in the first place. After an uncomfortable moment or two, Toby and Orlando joined back in and soon Vincent did too. It wasn't long before Vincent stood and left again, and not long after that they all had to leave too.

They came back the next night and sure enough, when it was late enough, Vincent appeared and hung around for a while. And it was almost like old times.

Now that he had had some sense knocked into him…he was practically the same idiot.

Just a bit more sinful.


End file.
